


Promise to little Spencer

by WoodyOmare



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Hurt Spencer Reid, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Spencer Reid, Kidfic, Kidnapped Spencer Reid, Parenthood, Protective Derek Morgan, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Recovery, Spencer Reid Whump, This is really dark, Torture, Whump, You Have Been Warned, explicit rape scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:48:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 22
Words: 21,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24984856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoodyOmare/pseuds/WoodyOmare
Summary: 6 year old Spencer Reid is saved by the BAU from an evil man that hurt him for 3 years. The team brings him into their family and promise to keep him safe. Will they succeed? Will they be able to help little Spencer forget his past and live a good life?
Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid
Comments: 35
Kudos: 181





	1. Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Please be aware: This fic is quite dark! There will be fluff and comfort, but there are many moments that might be triggering for some. You have been warned!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little boy in his own personal hell :(

As he came out of unconsciousness he slowly felt the pain radiate through him. His back stung. The deep lashes littering his back were fresh, though they had stopped bleeding freely. As he tried to shift his body, excruciating pain from his wrist made itself present, causing him to cry out. He stilled himself to stop from hurting. Right after, a loud grumble came from his stomach. It had been 2 days since he had eaten. He really hoped The Man would allow him some food soon.

The door in the corner of the room was thrown open with a bang, interrupting the boy’s thoughts. A deep voice screamed, making him jump. “BOY! COME NOW!”

The little boy ignored the pain and quickly scurried over to The Man. He stood in front of the intimidating man and shook in fear. 

“Good. Now, you know what to do.”

“Can I have some food?” The boy asked, shivering. He ignored The Man’s order. He didn’t want to. The Man always made him lick him like a lollipop until he swallowed something really gross. He hated it.

“What did you just say...” 

“F-food? I’m h-hungry...” The boy whispered as he stepped back. He realized his mistake. It was too late though. 

“I DID NOT SAY YOU COULD SPEAK!” The Man yelled. He backhanded the boy, sending him to the ground. The Man rushed towards him and grabbed him by his long, unruly hair. He pulled him up so he was only 3 inches from the little face. 

“When I tell you to suck me off, you suck me off. You don’t ask for food. You don’t deserve food. You are too dirty and bad for food. ” The large man said, seething.

“I’m sorry!!!” The small child was now sobbing.

“I was trying to be nice by  _ only  _ making you suck me off. I know I was especially rough last night, so I  _ was  _ going to be merciful. Now, not so much.”

“Please! I'm sorry!” He could remember the last night. His bottom still hurt.

“Yeah… sorry doesn't cut it.”

The hefty man pushed the boy to the floor and straddled him as he thrashed around. He grabbed the flailing arms and pinned them to the boy’s side under his legs. He pulled out a knife from his back pocket and dragged it gently across the boy’s chest, eliciting a whimper in response. 

“I love seeing the fear in your eyes.” He said with a smirk.

He stood up and dragged the boy with him. He unbuckled his belt and began to whip him across the back. His wounds from the previous night reopened, and the blood was pouring out again. After 10 hits, the large man pulled him to the floor again and pulled off his pants, exposing his erection. 

He leaned in close to the little boy's ear and whispered forcefully. “You deserve this.”

After an excruciating 20 minutes, the larger man finished and got off of the boy. He left the room and slammed the door behind him. The boy curled into himself, crying. He sobbed and rocked himself until he fell into a merciful sleep. 


	2. The Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BAU is on the case!

The bullpen was full of laughter when Derek Morgan stepped through the open glass doors. He spotted JJ sitting at her desk with Prentiss and Garcia standing over her shoulder. They were looking at her phone as she showed them pictures. 

“Ahhhhh!!! That is the cutest thing ever!!!” squealed the colorful, plump woman. 

“Yeah it’s only cute when you're not the one that has to clean up the mess.” JJ grumbled.

“Oh come on JJ. You have to admit that a 6 year old boy covered in flour is pretty cute. I’m with Garcia.” Prentiss said. 

As Morgan approached the girls, he caught sight of the phone. On it was a photo of Henry, JJ’s son, covered in flour, with an upside down bowl on the floor next to him. His face was scrunched up from laughter, and Derek couldn't argue. It was really cute.

“Hello ladies! Has Henry decided to become a baker?” He said with a smirk.

“Yeah he begged to make a cake, but lost interest just 5 minutes in. He flipped the bowl over his head, laughed, and ran around the house. There was flour in almost every room.”

With that JJ threw her head back and let out a loud, sarcastic sigh. Everyone else bursts out laughing, until their unit chief's office door opens and they hear his quick footsteps make their way out. 

“We have a case. It’s a bad one”

Everyone stood up and made their way to the briefing room. Rossi joined them from his office and they looked over to Hotchner, troubled by the slight frown in his usually neutral face. This was going to be a bad one. Everyone took their seats around the round table and flipped open their files as Hotch began speaking.

“Okay. Over the past 5 years, there have been a series of murders in Georgia, 23 in total. All were young women in their 20’s, caucasion, dark hair. They were beaten extensively, tortured, and then stabbed in the heart.”

“Any sexual assault?” Asked Prentiss, flipping through the crime scene photos.

“The first 11 had been repeatedly raped, but the other 12 had no sexual assault present.”

“That... is weird. Unsubs don’t just ‘stop raping’ their victims.” Morgan pointed out, emphasizing his point with air quotes.

JJ furrowed her brows before placing her file on the table and crossing her arms. “Could he have entered a relationship? His partner then satisfying his sexual needs?” 

“I don’t think so. The level of his sadism suggests that he would not be able to stay in a long term relationship”

“Rossi’s right. But we can discuss more on the plane. Wheels up in 20”

*****

Over the next week the team had worked tirelessly to find the man killing all of these women. Victimology wasn’t getting them anywhere, and the unsub is smart. No fingerprints or DNA were left at the crime scenes, and there were no witnesses. They had put together a profile, but it wasn’t very helpful. The unsub was a white male in his early 30s. He’s single and he works or lives near the victims. He also most likely endured abuse as a child, both physical and sexual. The profile was just too broad, and they didn't have any suspects.

“Guys I hate to say it, but it's been a week and we have nothing.”

Everyone looked to Morgan and then back down to their feet. He was right. They were getting nowhere. They were losing hope, and the only thing they could think of to help them was another body. As much as they didn’t want another girl to die, they knew they wouldn’t be able to find this SOB without more evidence. 

Suddenly the phone began ringing. On the second ring Morgan answered the phone.

“Please tell me you got something for me baby girl.”

_ “Oh chocolate thunder, have I got something good for you. Okay. So I already told you that I found no overlap between the victims. BUT! I kept digging and digging and I found that 8 of the 23 victims bought new phones at the local mall. Now that may sound coincidental, but I looked into it just in case and 7 others have been described as techies, 6 more had broken computers or phones, and the final 2 practically lived at the mall. It is possible that all of the victims went to the tech shop at the mall.” _

Everyone stood soaking in the information. Prentiss was the first to speak. “It’s a loose connection but it's the best we've got. Garcia, we should look into the staff at the store.”

_ “Way ahead of you girlfriend. I cross referenced the profile to the staff and came up with Colby Hobbs. He is 34, lives smack dab in the middle of the kill zone, was abused by both of his parents, AND he dated the first victim.” _

“Great work Garcia. Do you have an address?” Hotch asked in his monotone voice.

_ “Already sent.” _ __  
  


“Let’s go.”


	3. Spencer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting little Spencer Reid

The team piled into their two SUVs. Morgan, Rossi, and JJ in one with Hotchner and Prentiss in the other. They sped to Colby Hobb’s address, which was only a 30 minute drive. They reviewed the suspect's past, and it was abundantly clear that he was their unsub. 

As they approached the isolated house, they could see how it was a perfect location for a murderer. It was not run down and not overly nice, so as to not get attention. It had no neighbors near it, so if someone were to scream, no one would be able to hear them. They knew that this had to be their guy.

What they didn’t know was that they just so happened to pass by a friend of their unsub just 5 minutes before getting to the house. 

*****

“Colby. Get the fuck out of there.”

“Ryan, what are you talking about.”

“The feds are on their way to you now. Get. Out. Of. There.”

“Damn it. I'll get the boy.”

“I don't think you understand. They are only like 5 minutes away. There isn’t time.”

“Fine. But I'll get him back.”

“I'm sure you will.”

*****

“Colby Hobbs, FBI!”

The team waited, but there was no response. Their unit chief gave the order. “Morgan. Kick down the door.”

Morgan brought his foot up and slammed it against the door. The door cracked with the force and flung open. They stormed in. They all went in different directions.

JJ took the kitchen. “Clear!”

Rossi took the living room. “Clear!”

Prentiss took the master bedroom. “Clear!”

And Hotch took the upstairs. “Clear!”

“Guys. I think I found the basement. It’s locked.”

The rest of the team made their way to Morgan, guns at the ready, before he kicked down the door. They rushed in and started checking over the room. They all stopped in their tracks when they saw a tiny, naked child curled up in the corner of the dungy basement.

As they got closer they could see the poor state he was in. He was clutching his knees to his chest and hid his face in them. He was rocking himself slowly. They could see his back was covered in blood, with deep gashes littered about it. He was covered in bruises and cuts. He looked horrible. 

Morgan put his gun back in his holster and slowly approached the trembling boy. “Hi there. It’s okay. We’re the FBI, the good guys. You’re safe now.”

He got no response from the little boy. He just curled up tighter and let out a whimper. Morgan reached out and touched the boy on his shoulder. Big mistake. 

“NOOO! PLEASE! I’LL BE GOOD!” Screamed the child as he shot himself backwards to get away from the large hand. He hit the wall with some force and let out a cry when his cuts came in contact with it. 

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

The boy shifted slightly so that his eyes peaked out over his legs. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

The boy thought hard over this. Could he really trust him? His mom had told him the government was bad. But he wanted comfort so, so much. And this man’s eyes look so warm and kind… they seemed trustworthy. 

After a full minute of thought he flung himself into Morgan’s open arms, crying. Morgan enveloped him in a gentle hug, avoiding his injuries. Hotchner took off his windbreaker and handed in to Morgan, who wrapped it around the shivering boy. 

“My name is Derek, and these are my friends. Can I know your name?”

The boy looked up at him with wet eyes. “Spencer Reid”


	4. Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get Spencer out of that hellhole

“Okay, Spencer. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“No! No! The Man’s gonna come back!”

Spencer lifted his head so he could look over the agent’s shoulder. He saw 4 people standing and staring at him. As he looked over them, his eyes landed on Prentiss. He pushed himself out of Morgan’s comforting arms and ran over to the dark haired female. 

He grabbed Prentiss’s hand and started pulling her to the door. “You gotta go! The Man’s gonna hurt you! He always does!”

Prentiss was surprised by the child’s actions. This poor boy was tired, bleeding, and in pain, but he wanted to help her. She shared the same dark hair as the victims. He must have witnessed them get hurt. “No it’s okay Spencer. He can’t hurt me. He can’t hurt you either.”

Spencer began bawling. “But he’s gonna kill you...”

Morgan got up and walked over to the boy. “It’s okay buddy. We can all leave now before he comes back.”

Spencer released his hold on Prentiss and looked up at all of the agents shyly. He slowly nodded his head. Morgan reached down and picked up the little boy who was still trembling. As they made their way out of the house and to the chaotic front yard, Morgan could tell the little boy that was cuddling into him was becoming overwhelmed. He was quickly glancing at all of the people in the yard and his shaking was getting more and more intense as they got closer to the crowd of people. 

“Shhh it’s okay. You're okay...”

“What if he’s here… he's gonna be so mad.”

“I won’t let him get you. As long as you're with me you're safe.”

“Really?”

“Really. Now, we are going to go over to the ambulance to get you checked over and then we will go to the hospital. Okay?”

“I’m scared,” he whispered into Morgan's shoulder.

“It’s okay. I’ll be right here.”

With that, two male paramedics approached them. The larger of the two reached out and grabbed at the child.

Spencer started kicking out at the man, screaming. “Derek! Derek don't let him get me!”

He began to hyperventilate, but that didn’t deter the paramedic. The large man started pulling the boy off of Morgan with more force than necessary. 

“Come on kid!” Said the paramedic in an annoyed voice. 

“HEY. Back off man. He’s traumatized. You've got to be gentle with him.”

The paramedic rolled his eyes but didn’t let go of the struggling boy. “Whatever...”

“No. Not whatever. Get your hands off him. Now.”

“Fine. Jeff, you take care of this.” The man stomped off, and his partner approached them carefully. 

The paramedic called ‘Jeff’ looked to Morgan. “Tom’s a bastard. I will be careful with him.”

Morgan studied the new man carefully. He then looked down at the boy who was clutching onto his FBI vest like his life depended on it. He looked back up and followed the new paramedic to the ambulance. When he tried to put Spencer on the gurney, the boy started screaming again.

“No please! Don’t leave me! I don’t wanna...”

“Okay buddy. It’s okay. He won’t hurt you.” But that didn’t stop the cries and screams that were coming from the boy. He continued to struggle and hyperventilate.

“No! No! He hurt! He's gonna hurt meeee...”

With that, the boy's eyes rolled up and shut. He went limp and let go of Morgan, who lowered him onto the gurney. Morgan looked from the boy to the paramedic. 

“What happened?!?”

“I think he became too overwhelmed and passed out. Could be for the better, now we can look over him without him freaking.”

“I suppose… Let’s get to the hospital.” 


	5. Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BAU learn of Spencer's injuries

The ambulance arrived at the hospital in under 10 minutes. Spencer had not woken up in that time. They brought him in and Morgan went to the waiting room. Within 5 minutes the rest of the team came in to join him. 

“Find anything at the house?”

Rossi was the first to speak. “Hobbs wasn’t there. He must have been tipped off...”

Prentiss interrupted the older agent as he trailed off. “But he is definitely the killer. Not only did he have that little boy, but they found the DNA of at least 9 of the victims.” 

“Speaking of, how is he? Is he okay?” JJ asked, voice dripping with concern.

“When I brought him out of the basement he got really scared. He thought Hobbs was in the crowd and was going to come hurt him. Then a paramedic came up and had the audacity to try to grab him off of me! He of course started freaking out. I got that son of a bitch to back off and his partner took over. But the kid was so scared when I tried to put him on the gurney that he hyperventalated and passed out.”

Everyone looked incredibly sad while taking in the information. Their hearts broke for the boy. JJ looked the most affected, probably because of Henry. “That poor baby. What did he do to him?”

Hotch answered her. “We will have to wait for the doctor on that one. Let's call Garcia and see if we can find anything about this boy.”

They all nodded and Morgan took out his phone and dialled Garcia. She picked up on the second ring.

_ “Hello there my fine furry friends! What can I do ya for?” _

“Hey baby girl. When we raided the house we found a little boy there. Said his name was Spencer Reid and he looks to be about 3 or 4”

_ “Oh god what was a little baby boy doing at that sickos house?!?!” _

“He was naked and covered in blood in the unsubs basement. We’re waiting to hear from the doctor looking over him. We need you to look him up in the missing children's database.”

_ “Oh that poor baby. Okay I’ll get back to you in a jiffy when I find something.” _

“Thanks baby girl.” 

With that Morgan hung up the phone. They sat in silence for 10 minutes before a middle aged, female doctor came out into the waiting room. She had short, dirty blonde hair and kind eyes. 

“Family of Spencer Reid?”

They all stood up and gathered around the doctor. Hotch stepped up and spoke. “I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner and this is my team. We are on Spencer Reid’s case. We are still in the process of looking for his parents.”

The doctor looked over the agents and nodded her head. “Okay. Well I’m Doctor Tammie Jones. I’m sure you would like an update on the boy’s condition.”

Everyone nodded before she went on. 

“So Spencer has been through a lot. He lost a lot of blood and is currently receiving a transfusion. He seems to have been whipped with a belt, which caused a lot of deep lacerations on his back that had to be stitched up. He was severely beaten and has 2 bruised ribs. He also has a mild concussion. Bruising covers 75% of his body. His wrist was slightly sprained but should heal on its own. He is severely dehydrated and malnourished, making him incredibly small for his age. And there is one other thing...”

“Please. We need to know everything.” Said Hotchner.

“Spencer was brutally raped. Repeatedly. We found extensive tearing and scarring in his anal passage. He has been sexually abused for a very long time.”

The team all looked down at their feet. They couldn’t believe someone would harm a child this much. Morgan was infuriated, but calmed down enough to speak. “Thank you Dr. Jones. When can we see him?”

“Well he is currently sleeping, but he should be coming around in an hour or so. We moved him into a private room. I can bring you there now.”

“Thank you.”

They followed her down to his room and stopped at the door. He was so small in the bed. He was black and blue and had cuts all over him. He had an IV sticking out of his hand. His hair fell down into his face which slightly covered his closed eyes. The team couldn’t believe how small and defenseless he looked.

They walked into the room and Morgan took the seat to the right of the bed. He grabbed the boy’s tiny hand and covered it with his own. He already cared for the boy. More than other victims they have encountered. He doesn’t know why, but he is compelled to protect him. And he plans on doing exactly that.


	6. Safe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and Morgan talk

The team had been waiting with the sleeping child for about 5 minutes when Morgan’s phone started ringing. He grabbed it, checked the caller ID, and answered.

“Hey baby girl, what d'you got for me?”

_ “Okay so I looked in the missing children’s database, and I couldn’t find a single missing child with the name Spencer Reid.” _

“Really? Could you expand the search?”

_ “I checked in every state and I even had Interpol look and they found nothing either.” _

They all stood considering for a moment. Hotch spoke up. “He gave a different last name, but I suppose it could be possible that he is Hobb’s son.”

“No. He’s not his son.”

“Morgan I know it would be terrible, but we have to consider the possibility.”

Morgan looked pained. “I know. I just don't want it to be true.”

“I understand. You are clearly attached to him. You should stay here and wait for him to wake up, but the rest of us need to head back to the station to find Hobbs.”

“Okay. I’ll see you guys later. Go get that son of a bitch.”

With that, the team retreated back to the station. Morgan found his eyelids becoming increasingly heavy and he eventually fell to sleep in the uncomfortable hospital chair. 

*****

Spencer found himself coming out of the darkness that consumed him. His eyes remained closed but he could feel that he was laying on a bed. He was confused. Why was he on a bed? Why was he so warm? Why was he wearing clothes?

He slowly pried his eyes open and found that he was in a very bright room. He looked down at the side of the bed and found a dark man with his head on the bed, and a hand laying on the boy's thigh. 

Spencer kicked the hand off of him and pushed back. He fell off the bed and crawled under it. “No no no no nonononono...”

Morgan woke up from the sudden movements to find the hospital bed empty. He could hear quiet cries coming from the bed, but the boy was nowhere in sight. He bent down and looked underneath the bed, where he found the little boy trembling and crying. When his face came into Spencer’s view, his cries got louder.

“No! I’m sorry. Please don’t. Please!”

“It’s okay buddy. I’m not going to hurt you. Do you remember me?”

Spencer continued crying but looked up at Morgan and nodded. “Derek?”

“Yes. Derek. I promise you I will not hurt you. But you’ve got to come out from under the bed.”

“But I’m not supposed to be on the bed...”

“Why not?”

“Cause The Man doesn’t let me… I am a bad boy who has to sleep on the floor...”

Morga’s eyes were wet. “No Spencer. You are not a bad boy, you are a good boy who can sleep on the bed. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Spencer furrowed his brow in thought. After a minute he scooted forward until he was out from under the bed. 

“Can I pick you up to put you on the bed?”

Spencer looked at Morgan and reluctantly nodded his head. Morgan reached down and lifted the boy onto the bed. The boy’s flinch did not go unnoticed. 

“Okay buddy. Could I ask you a few questions?”

He responded with a quick nod.

“How long were you with Colby Hobbs… The Man?”

“Two years 10 months and three days.” He answered with no hesitation.

Morgan was startled by the detailed answer, but continued anyway.

“Okay. How old are you?”

“What day is it?”

“Um it’s August 12th, 2009”

“Then I’m 5 years 9 months and 15 days...”

“Wow, you’re almost 6! Do you remember where you lived before you lived with The Man?”

“I lived with my dada and um… my mommy in Las Vegas, Nevada.”

“Okay. What were your parents' names?”

“Diana and William Reid.”

“Thank you. You are being very helpful. Hopefully we can find your parents so you can see them again.”

Spencer looked down at his hands and frowned. “No my mommy dead.”

“I’m sorry buddy. But at least we can find your dad.”

Morgan saw the little boy tense at the mention of his father. He couldn’t let that go ignored. 

“What was that buddy? Do you not like your daddy?”

Spencer didn’t move, or speak. He just continued to stare at his hands. Morgan took that as a cue to move on. 

“Okay buddy, it's okay. Can you tell me anything about Hobbs?”

Spencer started to tear up again. “He’s mean… He liked to hurt me. He liked to… to… use me.”

Loud sobs made their way out of the boy's mouth. He began rocking himself in an attempt to get comfort. Morgan placed his hand on his shoulder and he screamed.

His eyes glazed over and he began pushing himself into the back of the bed. “No. Please! Sir, I’m sorry… Please stop… It hurts.”

Morgan quickly took his hand off the boy and cursed himself silently. “Buddy. You are not in that basement. You are in the hospital. You are safe.”

“Derek it hurts… make him stop…”

“I’m here Spencer. You aren’t there. You are safe with me.”

The boy’s eyes came back into focus. He looked straight at Morgan and flung himself into his arms. 

“I'm safe with you?” He said between sobs

“You’re safe with me. I promise.”


	7. Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone gets into Spencer's hospital room

After Spencer’s flashback he fell into a restless sleep. Morgan had held him while he cried for 10 minutes before he went limp. Morgan placed him gently on the bed before exiting the room. He took out his phone and dialed Garcia’s number.

_ “Chocolate Thunder, how is our Junior G-man?” _

Morgan chuckled. “He’s really shaken up but I was able to ask him some questions. Apparently he’s about 6 years old and has been with Hobbs for 3 years. Before that though he lived in Las Vegas, Nevada with his dad William Reid. His mom is Diana Reid, but he said that she was deceased.”

_ “Well with that information I think I should be able to find something on this little cutie pie.” _

“Thanks Baby Girl.”

_ “Okay sugar what is it?” _

“What do you mean?”

_ “Something’s up with you…” _

“It’s just...” Morgan let out a sigh. “I feel so strongly for this little boy. More than other victims we’ve dealt with. I don’t know I can’t explain it...”

_ “Oh Morgan… You don’t need to explain it. You clearly care for him.”  _

“I feel connected to him. I want him to stay with me. Maybe I could adopt him...”

_ “Morgan, are you talking about becoming a daddy! Ahhh!!!” _

“Calm down sweetness. We don’t even know if I can. Supposedly he still has a father. But uhh...”

_ “What is it?” _

“When I said that Spencer would be able to see his dad again he winced and got really quiet. I’m not sure exactly what it means, but I don’t think it’s good.”

_ “Oh god… You don’t think his dad did something to him do you?” _

“I don’t know. Let’s find him and get some answers.”

_ “Okay I’ll try to find him and then I’ll get back to you. Now go get back to your new baby!” _

Morgan smiled at that and hung up his phone. Suddenly he heard screaming. 

“Derek!”

Morgan dropped his phone to the ground and sprinted down the hall. 

*****

Spencer woke up to a hand covering his mouth. His eyes snapped open and stared into two dark and malicious eyes. He immediately began pushing and kicking out at the man above him. The hateful looking man kept his hand over the boy's mouth and forcefully pushed him down into the bed to stop his struggling.

“Stop struggling. You are going to be quiet and come with me. Colby is not happy. If you are good for me maybe he will be nicer with your punishment for leaving him.”

Spencer was really scared. The Man was going to be so angry with him. He didn’t want to go back. He thought Derek said he didn’t have to go back. Derek said he would protect him. He needed to get Derek.

Spencer pulled his head back from the man’s hand and bit down on it. Hard. Startled, the man jumped back, clutching his hand. “You bastard! You’re gonna get it now...”

The boy screamed at the top of his lungs. “Derek!”

The evil man jumped at him and grabbed around his waist, pulling him against his chest. This jostled the boy’s injuries, causing him to whimper out in pain. The man pulled out a knife and held it to Spencer’s throat just as Morgan ran into the room with his gun pointed at the intruder’s head. 

“Put down the boy.”

A smirk came across the man's face. “Put down the gun or I’ll gut the boy.”

Morgan began approaching the two. “You know I can’t do that man.”

He took the knife from the boy’s neck and pointed it at Morgan. “Don’t get any closer.”

Spencer took this opportunity and brought his leg up and back down as hard as he could into the man’s crotch. He was dropped to the ground as the man reacted to the sudden pain. He landed on his injured back and cried out. 

Morgan saw the man try to go for Spencer, so he wrapped his finger around the trigger and squeezed. His bullet struck the intruder in the middle of his forehead, killing him immediately. He crumpled to the ground right next to the crying boy. 

Spencer caught sight of the bleeding man on the floor and rushed over to Morgan. He latched onto his legs while sobbing out. 

“It’s okay buddy,” He reached down and picked up the little boy. “I’ve got you.”

He buried his head into the agent’s shoulder. “Derek protect Spencer.”

Morgan had tears in his eyes. “That’s right little man.”

“Don’t leave me...”

“I won’t. Let’s get you away from here.”

Morgan took Spencer from the room with the dead man. Doctor Jones moved them to a new room, and checked over Spencer to make sure he was okay. The entire time he clung to Morgan. He screamed whenever anyone tried to pry him off of his protector. Eventually he fell asleep in Morgan’s arms, and Morgan joined him shortly after.


	8. Hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer meets the rest of the team

The team got news of what happened at the hospital and decided to go check on Morgan and his charge. When they got to the hospital they were pointed to their new room. They peaked into the room and found the 6 year old curled up on Morgan’s chest with his arms wrapped around the boy. JJ pulled out her phone and snapped a photo for Garcia.

Spencer woke up and rubbed his little fist into his eye. He peeled his eyes open and immediately tensed when he saw 4 people standing in the room staring at him.

He fisted Morgan's shirt and tensely whispered to him. “Derek...”

Morgan awoke and looked down at the wide, hazel eyes looking up at him. He then moved his head up and saw the rest of his team was there. Realization hit him and he hugged the shaking child a bit tighter. 

“Spencer it’s okay. These are my friends.”

“They gonna hurt me?” He whispered, leaning further into Morgan’s chest.

“No buddy. You’re safe. This is Emily. Do you remember her? She was there when we found you.” Spencer nodded against his chest. “And this is Aaron. He gave you his jacket.”

Spencer looked up at Hotch. “Thank you.” He said shyly. 

“Of course Spencer.”

Spencer offered a small smile and then looked nervously at the other two people. JJ stepped closer to him slowly and spoke. “Hi Spencer. My name is JJ. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi.” He said quietly.

She offered him a kind smile. “I have a son your age.”

Spencer perked up a little at this. “What’s his name?”

“His name is Henry.” She pointed behind her at Hotch. “Aaron also has a son. His name is Jack and he’s 9.”

Morgan looked down at Spencer and was happy to see a small smile on his face. “Maybe you can meet them eventually.”

Spencer’s smile fell and he buried his face into Morgan’s chest again. “That’s okay bud. This last guy is my friend David.”

The boy looked up again and studied Rossi’s face. “David Rossi?”

“Yeah I’m David Rossi. How’d you know that?“

Spencer’s scared eyes widened. “I'm sorry...”

“No, it’s okay bambino. I was just wondering.”

“I read your book. The Man left it out after… after… “ Tears sprung up in his eyes and he swallowed. “... and he fell asleep so I took the book and read it.”

The team looked at each other with confused looks. He’s so young, how did he read such a large book?

Rossi took a step forward but stopped when the boy shrank back. “Spencer. That’s a big book. How do you know how to read so well?”

Spencer looked down at his hands sadly. “My mommy taught me...”

“She must have been a smart woman.”

A tear slipped out of the boy’s eye and down his cheek. Morgan used his thumb to wipe it off his face. “Okay buddy. I have to go talk to my team for a second. Can you stay here?”

Spencer tightened his grip on Morgan. “No. Don’t go. I'm safe with you.”

Morgan moved Spencer so that he was looking him in the eyes. “I will only be one minute. Can you be a brave boy and wait here?”

Spencer bit down on his lip. He didn’t want Derek to go. Last time he left that mean man tried to hurt him. He looked at Morgan with pleading eyes. “I don’t wanna be alone...”

“It’s okay. I will be just outside the door. You should try to sleep anyway kid.”

Spencer hugged Morgan one more time before climbing into the hospital bed. “Okay...”

“You’re really brave Spencer. Now get some sleep. Call my name if you need anything. Okay?”

Spencer gave him a small, nervous nod. Morgan got up and left the room with the rest of the team. They walked just outside the door so that they were still near Spencer.

Hotch turned to Morgan with a stern look on his face. “Morgan what happened?”

Morgan rubbed his bald head. “Well I was talking to Garcia on the phone in the lobby. Then I heard Spencer scream so I ran to the room. The guy had a knife to the kid's throat. He pointed the knife to me and the kid kicked him in the nuts. Spencer fell and the guy tried to go after him so I shot him. Have we got an ID on the guy yet?”

Hotch pulled out his phone. “I had Garcia check.” He hit the speed dial for Garcia.

_“Hello my team of superheroes, what do we need from me today?”_

Hotch answered in his usual monotone voice. “Did you get an ID on the man that came to the hospital?”

_“That I did. His name was Ryan Thomas. He was a friend of Colby Hobbs.”_

Morgan clenched his fists. “So Hobbs is trying to get Spencer back?”

Rossi put his hand on Morgan’s shoulder for support. “As long as Hobbs is out there, I think Spencer is going to need to be put in protective custody.”

“Well I could take him.”

Everyone looked to Morgan with wide eyes. 

“Morgan...” Hotch said, “that’s a big responsibility...”

Prentiss looked to Morgan and then to the Unit Chief. “I mean Spencer is already connected to Morgan. It might be a good idea. Have we found his father yet?”

_“Ah that I have an answer for. William Reid is still living in Nevada, and he has been contacted. He seems very happy that his son has been found and he is heading your way now.”_

For some reason Morgan was saddened by this news. “I could still watch him until he gets here.”

Hotch could feel the desperation in Morgan’s words. “Okay Morgan you can stay with him. But I need you to interview him about the other victims and get his statement. JJ can help you.”


	9. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan and JJ ask Spencer some questions

Morgan and JJ walked into the hospital room after saying their goodbyes to the rest of the team. Right when Morgan stepped through the door he was practically tackled by Spencer. 

Morgan reached down and picked up the boy. “Woah there kid… You okay?”

“I was scared… Don’t go again...”

“It’s okay buddy I’m going to be here for a while. But JJ and I need to ask you some hard questions. Okay?”

Spencer looked up shyly at JJ. “Okay...”

Morgan brought him back to the hospital bed and gently placed him on the bed. He took a seat in the chair next to the bed, making sure not to let go of Spencer’s hand. JJ took a seat on the edge of the bed. 

JJ put her hand on the boy’s knee, and was happily surprised when he didn’t flinch or try to pull away. “Spencer, when you were with Hobbs did you ever see any women?”

Spencer looked to Derek who gave him a small nod. He then turned back to JJ. “Sometimes he’d bring a woman back to the house. They were always so nice to me. The Man would hurt them when they tried to help me. I liked when they were there with me… Does that make me bad?”

“No kid. That doesn’t make you bad.”

“But they were hurt ‘cause of me… ”

“No buddy, they were hurt because of the bad man that took them. Not you.”

JJ rubbed the boy’s knee reassuringly. “Spence, How many women were there?”

“32… but The Man said there were more before I came to his house“

JJ looked up wide eyed to Morgan. She mouthed to him “32?”

Morgan shrugged back to her. He turned back to the boy. “Okay. We already know what he did to them. Can you tell us what he did to you?”

Spencer started tearing up. “He’d hit me. And… and he’d whip me. Only when I was bad tho. He also broked some of my bones. He was meaner to the women tho.”

Morgan could tell he was avoiding something. “What else bud?”

Spencer looked up at him with teary eyes. He shook his head.

“What’s the matter buddy? You can tell me.”

“No… You gonna hate me… think I'm dirty...”

“No kid. Nothing you will ever say will make me hate you. You are not dirty. Please tell me what he did.”

Spencer shut his eyes and tightened his grip on Morgan’s hand. “He’d make me suck his thingy like a lollipop… Then he’d… he’d put it in my bottom. It hurt so much… I didn’t wanna. I promise! I didn’t wanna be dirty! There was blood...it hurted...”

Large tears were now cascading down the poor boy's face. Morgan pulled him into a hug and gave JJ a sad look. She nodded in understanding.

A single tear dropped out of his eye. “I’m sorry buddy. You never have to do that again. I promise.”

They sat crying for a few minutes. The two agents were attempting to comfort the poor boy. He had been through so much. He eventually went limp in Morgan’s arms and fell asleep once more. Morgan laid him on the bed, and moved to the corner of the room to talk with JJ.

He whispered to her so that the sleeping boy couldn’t hear him. “JJ. This explains why the victims suddenly stopped being raped. Hobbs stopped when he got Spencer.”

She looked over to the tiny boy in the bed. “How could someone do that to such a young and innocent baby. Derek he’s the same age as Henry. I couldn’t even imagine...”

“When we find Colby Hobbs I swear to god I’m going to kill him on sight.”

“Get in line...”

Suddenly a man walked into the room and stared at the bed with the small child. Morgan immediately moved between the boy and strange man. “Who are you?”

“I’m William Reid. Spencer’s father.”


	10. William Reid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer's father comes to take his son home

Morgan looked over William Reid as if he was studying him. He seemed fine and looked concerned for his son, but Morgan got a bad feeling in his gut about him. 

William stepped around the agent and approached his son. Morgan could swear he saw his lip turn up slightly into a smirk.

JJ stepped up to William. “Sir, your son has been through something incredibly traumatizing. Luckily though he doesn’t have any life threatening injuries.”

“That’s good.”

The noise in the room caused the little boy on the bed to stir. He peeled his eyes open and looked up to see a new man in the room. His father.

Spencer’s breathing picked up and he began to hyperventilate. Between his breaths he managed to squeak out a word. “Derek… ”

Morgan quickly made his way over to Spencer and sat down next to him. “It’s okay. Do you remember your dad?”

Spencer jumped into his protector’s lap and pushed himself into his chest in an attempt to distance himself from William. “No please...”

Morgan looked to JJ with a confused look. Then his eyes made their way to the new man. “Sir. I think you should leave. You’re upsetting him.”

“No! I’m not going anywhere. He’s my boy.”

William Reid reached down and pulled Spencer off of Morgan. The boy began kicking and screaming. “No! Please! I don’t wanna… Derek!”

Morgan shot up from his seat and approached the two. William backed up so that Morgan couldn’t reach his son. “Sir. You are upsetting him. Put him down. Now.”

William made no such move, and continued to hold onto the struggling child. “Derek! Derek!” He pushed against his father's chest with one arm while reaching out to Morgan with the other. “Don’t wanna…please…Derek... help...”

The boy’s struggles were slowing. Morgan saw Spencer’s eyes roll to the back of his head before going limp in his father’s arms. Morgan was fuming. Spencer didn’t even react that badly to Ryan Thomas, the man that had a knife to his throat. Why was he so scared of his father?

“Sir. Put him down.”

William continued to back away from the agent. “No. He is my son. I’m taking him home.”

“He has not been discharged, Mr.Reid.”

“Then get him discharged!”

Morgan put his hands up as a sign of peace. “Okay. Calm down. Put him down and we can get a nurse to get the discharge papers.”

William started at Morgan and then slowly approached the bed, placing Spencer down on it. 

Morgan looked to JJ and then back to the boy’s father. “Agent Jareau will go find a nurse with you.”

William gave a slight roll to his eye. “Fine.”

With that, William Reid left the room followed by JJ. Morgan let out a sigh as he sat down in the chair next to the bed. He pulled out his phone and dialed his Unit Chief.

_ “Hotchner.” _

“Hotch. It’s Morgan. Spencer’s father just got here. Spencer had a panic attack when he saw him and then Reid tried to pull him off of me. The poor kid passed out. Then Reid said he was going to take him home. Something’s up with this guy...”

_ “I think I may have the reason for that.” _

“What do you mean Hotch?”

_ “The results for the Rape Kit came in. There were three different sets of DNA found. The first is Colby Hobbs, as expected. The second is Ryan Thomas, the man from the attack before, and the third is William Reid.” _

Morgan clenched his fist. He was fuming now. “Are you fucking kidding Hotch! He raped his own kid? And now he’s trying to take him home with him...”

_ “Morgan, you need to keep a level head. Make sure William Reid does not get anywhere near Spencer. Take him into custody. This should be enough to charge him, or at least make sure he doesn’t get custody of Spencer.” _

“Hotch. His dad was his only living relative. He’s going to go into foster care… I can’t let that happen.”

_ “Morgan. You know taking in a child is a large responsibility.” _

“Hotch. I understand that. But I… I love the kid. I can’t leave him.”

_ “...I can talk to child services about adoption.” _

“That would be great Hotch. I’ve got to go before Reid gets back.”

_ “Okay. And Morgan…” _

“Yeah?”

_ “You’d make a great dad.” _

Morgan smiled. “Thanks Hotch.”


	11. Bad Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William is arrested, and Morgan talks adoption

Morgan stood up from his chair and looked down at the little boy. He looked so innocent. How could so many bad things happen to him? Morgan reached down and moved a piece of hair out of his face before leaving the room. 

He walked down the hall to where William Reid and JJ were talking to a nurse about getting discharge papers. He pulled his cuffs from his pants as he approached them.

Morgan grabbed William’s arms and pulled them behind his back as he cuffed him. “William Reid you are under arrest...” He was cut off before he could continue.

“Get off of me! What the fuck are you doing!”

“You sick fuck. Who rapes their own kid! You don’t deserve to be Spencer’s father.”

William stopped struggling and smirked at Morgan. “Oh? Is someone getting attached?” He leaned in close to the agent’s face. “He’s nothing but a fucktoy. And that’s all he’ll ever be. You should try him. He’s still nice and tight.”

As William spoke Morgan could feel himself growing angrier and angrier. He wanted to kill him. He pulled his fist back to punch the bastard, but JJ got there first. She punched him across the face so hard that he would’ve fallen to the floor if Morgan hadn’t been holding him.

JJ yelled at William as he recovered from the blow. “He’s just a little baby! You are sick!” She took a second to collect herself, and she motioned for a police officer to take him away. “Officer, take him to the station.”

The cop dragged him out of the hospital as William looked back and sneered at the two agents. JJ and Morgan gave each other a look before going back to Spencer’s room. 

When they entered the room, they located the incredibly small child at the center of his hospital bed. He was still except for the rise and fall of his little chest. His eyes were closed and he looked astonishingly peaceful for everything he had been through.

Morgan took the seat to Spencer’s left and JJ took the one to his right. Morgan took his tiny hand in his own and squeezed it. A single tear rolled down his face as he stared at Spencer’s bruised face.

Both agents stayed at Spencer’s bedside while he slept. Two hours later a small whimper came from the boy. JJ had fallen asleep but Morgan was still awake. He sat up attentively to see if the child was waking up.

Suddenly Spencer opened his eyes and shot up, breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room with fear. They finally landed on Morgan’s face and Spencer jumped into his lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his chest. 

“Derek please don’t let him take me.”

Morgan’s heart broke at the sadness in his voice. “Who buddy? Your dad?”

Spencer nodded his head against the older man’s chest. 

“Spencer, look at me.”

He slowly raised his head so that his teary eyes looked straight into Morgan’s. “We arrested your dad. He’s never going to touch you ever again.” Tears started running down his face as he spoke. “Never, ever again. I promise.”

Spencer placed his head back on his chest. “I’m sorry...”

“For what?”

“I made you sad… you’re crying...”

Morgan gently pulled the boy off of him again so he could see his face. “No Spencer you didn’t make me sad. I’m just so sorry that you had to go through all of those bad, bad things.”

Spencer let go and began fully crying. Morgan pulled him into a strong, but gentle hug and began rocking him. After a few minutes Spencer whispered into his chest. “I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“Why are you being so nice to me? I’m so… I’m so dirty. I don’t deserve to be loved. I-I-I’m just a toy. I’m a bad boy. Why are you being so nice?” 

Morgan shook his head as his tears fell. This poor boy, he’s been through so much. Hobbs made him believe he’s worthless! “Spencer. You are not a toy and you are not a toy. You are a human being who has been lied to for his whole life. You deserve to be loved. That is why I am being nice to you. You deserve to have a loving family and a good life.”

“But you said I don’t gotta go back to my daddy? And my mommy’s dead? Who am I gonna stay with?” Spencer suddenly tensed and looked up to Morgan with fear in his eyes. “Do I gotta go back to the Man?”

“No! No, Spencer. You will never go back to him, or your father.”

“Then who?”

Morgan took a few seconds to answer. “Buddy, I need you to understand that this might not happen, but how would you feel staying with me?”

Spencer’s eyes glistened with hope. “Really?”

“I can’t promise. But I will definitely try my very hardest.”

Spencer felt tears roll down his cheeks. He hugged the agent as tight as he possibly could. “Thank you…” he whispered.

Morgan and Spencer sat in the embrace for what felt like hours. They just rocked slowly and cried together until they both fell into a peaceful sleep.


	12. Derek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer and Morgan talk to Child Services

When JJ woke up she was greeted with arguably one of the cutest scenes ever. Morgan was sleeping in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs. On top of him was tiny Spencer, who had one arm wrapped around his neck, his head against the agent’s chest, and his thumb in his mouth. Morgan’s arms were around the child as if he was protecting him in his sleep. 

JJ took out her phone and snapped a picture. Right after though, her phone began ringing. The caller ID said “Hotchner”. She answered the phone and brought it up to her ear.

“Hotch, what’s up?”

_ “Is Morgan there? I called him and he didn’t answer.” _

“Yeah. He’s currently sleeping with the cutest kid in the world on his lap.”

_ “Okay, well I talked to Child Services about Morgan wanting to take Spencer. They said that would be alright but they would need to talk to both Morgan and Spencer first.” _

“Oh Hotch that’s great! Spencer’s going to be so happy!”

_ “Morgan is too. He really loves him.” _

“He really does. Okay well I will tell him when he wakes up.”

_ “The Child Service worker should be there within the hour. And JJ, we are leaving tonight. Strauss isn’t letting us stay on the case since we have no leads on Hobbs.” _

“Damn. Well hopefully he turns up before anyone else gets hurt. I’ll see you on the plane.”

With that she hangs up and looks over to Morgan and Spencer. Morgan shifts his body and looks like he's about to wake up. JJ waits for his eyes to open.

“Have a nice nap, Morgan?” she asks sarcastically.

Morgan smirks and sits up straighter. “Actually yes I did.”

“Hotch just called. He talked to Child Services and they are open to the idea of your taking Spencer but they are going to come talk to the both of you soon.”   
  


Morgan's mouth turned up into a smile. Nothing had ever sounded better. Suddenly his smile disappeared. “That sounds amazing, but JJ, Spencer deserves the best life possible. What if I can’t provide that? I’m single and we go away so often. Is he better off without me?”

“Morgan you can’t be serious. He adores you! Think about what would happen if he was placed in foster care. He doesn’t even want to leave your side. Stop questioning yourself. You will be a great dad.”

Morgan’s smile returned. “Thanks JJ.”

They sat talking quietly for 20 minutes when a petite woman with red, shoulder length hair walked in the door. She gave a bright smile to both agents. 

“Hello! I’m Mrs.Stewart with Child Services.”

Morgan raised his hand carefully, attempting to jostle the boy in his lap as little as possible. They shook hands and he introduced himself. “Hello Mrs. Stewart. I’m Agent Morgan and this is Agent Jareau. And this...” Morgan looked down at the sleeping child with a smile. “... is Spencer.”

“Well, because little Spencer here is still sleeping could I talk to you about him?”

“Of course.”

“Agent Hotchner told me you were thinking of adopting Spencer.”

“Yes. I have grown very attached to him and I think I would make a good parent to him.”

“You don’t think that your job is an issue?”

“Well, I understand your concerns. But both Agent Jareau and Agent Hotchner have children and they do just fine in our job. But if I have to, I am prepared to leave the BAU for him.”

JJ looked surprised by Morgan’s statement. Morgan gave no notice though, he just continued to stare down at the woman. Suddenly the boy on his lap started to stir. He gave a small yawn and turned his head so it was facing the new woman. 

He opened his eyes and locked onto the newcomer. He tensed against his protector and dug his face into his chest. “Derek...”

Morgan tightened his hold on the shaking child. “Morning buddy. This is Mrs.Stewart. She’s not going to hurt you. Can you say hello to her?” Spencer moved his head to look at the child service worker. He gave a small wave.

“Hello Spencer. Can I ask you a few questions?”

Spencer looked up at Morgan who gave him a supportive smile. He turned back to the woman and nodded to her. 

“Okay. Do you like Agent Morgan?” Spencer gave her a confused look. “Sorry, do you like Derek here?”

“I like Derek. He’s nice to me and hugs me. He makes me feel safe.”

“That’s great Spencer. How would you feel about living with Derek?”

Spencer’s eyes lit up. “Really! Can I? Please?”

She gave the boy a big smile. “Well Spencer, I think that would be a good idea. It seems to me that you two are really good together.”

Spencer turned to Morgan with an excited face and started bouncing in his lap. “Derek! Derek! She said I could stay with you!” 

Morgan drew him into a tight hug. “I know! Isn’t that great! Now what do we say to Mrs. Stewart”

Spencer pulled out of the hug and turned to the red-head. “Thank you Mrs. Stewart.”

“You’re very welcome Spencer.” She looked to Morgan. “Well. You are now his temporary guardian and I will start up the adoption papers. We’ll be in contact. Have a nice night.” She got up from her seat and shook Morgan’s hand and gave Spencer a smile. She turned, shook JJ’s hand and walked out of the hospital room. 

JJ got up and put a hand on Morgan’s shoulder. “I’m going to go get Spencer’s discharge papers for you to sign.” Morgan nodded to her as she walked out of the room.

“So Spencer, have you ever been on a plane?”


	13. Take Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer gets some presents from his new family

JJ and Morgan managed to get Spencer out of the hospital with little trouble. Now they just had to get Spencer on the jet. Morgan had two concerns. 1) Will Spencer be okay flying (since he had told him in the hospital that he had never flown before), and 2) How will he react to being with the team for such a long time. 

Morgan was pulled out of his thoughts when JJ stopped the car. Morgan took the sleepy child out of the SUV and steered him to the jet. As they climbed the steps, Spencer’s little hand gripped tighter and tighter to his own. 

“It’s okay Spencer. You have nothing to worry about.”

When they entered the cabin, everyone's eyes turned to Spencer. He ducked behind Morgan’s legs shyly. Morgan shuffled forward awkwardly with Spencer gripping his legs. He turned around, picked up the boy, and sat him on his lap as he took one of the plane’s seats. 

Spencer turned around and hid his face in Morgan's chest. “Spencer, remember, no one here is going to hurt you. They are my family, and now that you are staying with me, they are your family as well.”

Spencer looked up at Morgan. “You my family?”

“Yeah buddy. I am. And everyone here just wants to get to know you. Actually, I am pretty sure they got something for you.”

The boy turned around in Morgan’s lap to face the group. They were all staring at him and it was making him uncomfortable. Rossi stepped forwards with a large gift bag in his hand. As he got closer Spencer shrank back into Morgan, who rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. 

“Bambino, the team wanted to get you a little something.”

Spencer looked to Morgan anxiously, who nodded to him. Rossi placed the bag in the empty seat next to the two. Spencer slowly reached in and pulled out a classic brown teddy bear that was almost half the size of the child. 

Spencer looked up with disbelief to the group, and then back to Morgan. Morgan smiled at him and petted his hair. “Mine?”

“Yeah Spencer, that bear there is yours. Actually, my friend Penelope got you that.”

Spencer looked down at the bear and hugged it with all his might. Everyone smiled at the cute display. 

Spencer looked around the room from person to person. He furrowed his brow in confusion. “Where’s Penelope?”

“She’s back at Quantico where I live. She’s going to meet us when we land there. You can thank her then.”

“Oh… okay. She’s family too?”

“Yeah buddy. She’s my best friend. She is really excited to meet you. I think there are some more things in there for you.”

Spencer looked over to the bag and pulled out the next item. It was a stack of small books held together with a ribbon. The top book was “Where The Wild Things Are”.

JJ stepped closer to the boy, but not too close. “Those are some of my son’s favorite books. I know that you are more advanced in your reading, but you can never go wrong with the classics.”

Spencer’s lips turned up at the sides into a small smile. “Thank you! I like Maurice Sendak’s books even though they’re at a lower reading level.”

JJ smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Spence.”

Spencer’s smile got bigger at the nickname. He placed the books on the table in front of him and reached into the gift bag again and pulled out a medium sized box. It said “Lego” and had tiny, colorful blocks on the front of the box. Spencer’s eyes went wide.

Hotch gave one of his rare smiles. “I wasn’t sure what kit you would like so I got basic blocks so you could create anything.”

Spencer was still slightly intimidated by this man, but his amazement with the blocks overpowered this worry. “Thank you so much sir!”

“Of course Spencer. And you can call me Aaron if you want.” He said with a slight smile.

“Okay. Thank you Aaron.”

Prentiss stepped up and sat across from the little boy. He wasn’t very scared of her, she looked like the women that the Man hurt. “Spencer, the next is from me.”

Spencer reached in and grabbed the item. It was a notebook and a pack of crayons tied together with the same ribbon as JJ’s books. “I wanted you to be able to be creative and express yourself.”   
  


“I used to love to draw! My mommy said I was good too!” Spencer pulled out some of the crayons and flipped to the first page in the notebook. He quickly sketched a surprisingly good cat for a 6 year old. It was black and had a green collar. 

“Look! It’s a cat!” He said, holding it up for Prentiss to see. Then he turned to Morgan behind him to show him. “Look Derek, a cat!” Morgan looked at the drawing and gave Spencer a thumbs up. The boy turned back to Prentiss. “Thank you ma’am.”

“Oh god, ma’am makes me sound so old. Call me Emily. I’m glad you like it. And I absolutely love your cat. It looks just like my cat Sergio.”

Spencer smiled up at her. His smile was so big that his eyes were almost closed. Rossi slowly moved forward again so as not to scare the child. It seemed to work because he just looked over to him calmly. “One more thing bud. And it’s from your Uncle Dave.”

Spencer cocked his head to the side. “I don’t have an uncle?”

Rossi gave a little laugh. “Well I thought Mr.Rossi was a little formal since we are family now, so I thought you could call me Uncle Dave. Is that okay?”

“That's okay with me sir… Uncle Dave.”

Spencer reached to the very bottom of the bag and pulled out a thick book. It was Rossi’s newest book in hardcover. He opened to the very first page where there was a handwritten note. 

_ Spencer,  _

_ Welcome to the family. _

_ We all love you as our own. _

_ ~ Uncle Dave _

Spencer looked up to Rossi with teary eyes. He clutched the book to his chest. He drew in a quick breath before breaking down. Still holding onto the book, he fell back into Morgan and wept into his chest. Everyone looked on with surprise and pity.

Morgan started petting the boy’s hair. “Buddy what’s wrong?”

Spencer whispered into his chest between his sobs. “I’m… I’m... happy.”

The team looked around at each other with heartbroken eyes. They eventually settled back on the boy as he spoke again. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Morgan continued to pet his hair with one hand while wiping away his tears with the other. “It’s okay bud. Sometimes we cry when we are really happy. I think you’re just a bit overwhelmed. Am I right?”

Spencer nodded against him. “No one’s ever been so nice to me… Now I gots all these presents… and a family… I’m just so… so happy.”

Morgan hugged him tight. “You deserve to be happy.”


	14. Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team lands, and Spencer meets Garcia

After Spencer composed himself a bit he thanked everyone for their gifts. The jet took off soon after. Spencer was surprisingly calm for his first time on a plane. The only issue was right at the start when he had to sit in his own seat; he didn’t want to leave Morgan. But he reluctantly complied once Morgan promised he would be right next to him the whole time. 

Spencer spent a good chunk of the trip reading Rossi’s book. He was completely unaware of the glances he was getting from the other people in the plane. They couldn’t believe he was able to read such big books. And he was reading it so fast! 

After about an hour he fell asleep cuddling with his new bear and using Morgan’s arm as a pillow. He was curled up in the seat, but still only took up about half of the seat. 

With only about 15 minutes left of the flight, they hit some turbulence. Spencer woke up due to the shaking and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He looked unfazed to the shaking of the jet. 

Rossi, on the other hand, was making the hand motions of a cross and mumbling a prayer to himself. Morgan chuckled. “Rossi. You fly on a plane multiple times a week and yet the kid is doing better than you.”

“Well I’m sorry if I am concerned with the plane going down!” he huffed.

JJ kicked Rossi from under the table and pointed her head to Spencer with annoyance. She was silently saying ‘You’re going to scare him!’

A small, groggy voice piped up. “Actually, the chances of the plane crashing are about 1 in 5.4 million, and the chances of a crash being fatal is about 1 in 3.37 billion. So there really isn’t any reason to be concerned since the chances are quite small.”

All eyes turned to the small boy and widened with surprise. He shrunk back slightly in response, now completely awake. “I'm sorry…”

JJ was the first to speak up. “No baby, it’s okay. We were just surprised. You are really smart!”

Spencer tensed at this and tightly closed his eyes. He suddenly dropped his new bear to the floor and wrapped his arms around his abdomen as if hugging himself. JJ was slightly startled by his reaction and was going to speak again, but Morgan, sensing his unease, moved on with the conversation.

“Well pretty boy here just proved my point Rossi.”

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t care what the statistics say. The plane violently shaking can not be good in my book.”

The team continued to talk and joke around. Eventually, Spencer opened his eyes and unwrapped his arms from around himself. He was happy that the focus was no longer on him. 

While the conversation was going on Morgan would occasionally glance over to Spencer to make sure he was okay. He had his hands in his lap and he was fidgeting with his hands anxiously. His eyes were glued to the floor, looking almost longingly. Morgan looked down to see what he was staring at, and saw his stuffed bear lying on the ground. 

Morgan silently reached down and grabbed the stuffed animal. He handed the bear to the little boy who grabbed it and hugged it tight to his chest. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the chair. Morgan smiled and watched while Spencer slowly drifted to sleep.

*****

By the time the plane landed, Spencer was still fast asleep. As the other agents left the jet, Morgan unbuckled himself and the little boy next to him. He then placed his hand on his shoulder and gently shook him to try and wake him up.

“Spencer. Spencer it’s time to wake up.”

Spencer groaned and shifted himself without opening his eyes as he woke up. Suddenly he shot up breathing heavily and looking around the now empty plane. Finally his eyes landed on Morgan and he visibly relaxed. 

“Pretty boy, we landed. We have to go now.”

The boy rubbed his fist into his eyes. “Okay.” He hopped down off the chair, bear in hand, while Morgan grabbed his bag of presents. The two moved to the exit of the plane hand in hand and slowly descended the stairs. 

Suddenly, a high pitched and excited scream could be heard. “AHHHHH! OH MY GOODNESS HE'S SO CUTE!”

A colorful, plump woman came running towards the two at the bottom of the stairs. Spencer hid himself behind Morgan, slightly trembling. The woman came to a halt and covered her mouth with her hands when she saw the boy cowering in fear. “Oh! I’m sorry sweetie. I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Morgan turned to the child and squeezed his hand reassuringly. “It’s okay Spencer. This is my friend Penelope Garcia.”

Spencer’s eyes widened with recognition at the name. He looked down at the teddy bear that he was still hugging, then up to Garcia. “Thank you for the bear”

Garcia kneeled down so that she was about the same height as the little boy. “Of course cutie pie! I’m glad you like it. Have you named him?”

Spencer was slowly stepping out from behind Morgan. Penelope wasn’t as scary as the other agents. She seemed nice, but he was still slightly wary. “He’s Teddy...”

Garcia let out a little squeal. “Oh my goodness that is an adorable name. I love it!”

Spencer smiled up at the bubbly woman. He then held up the stuffed animal for her to see. “Teddy says thank you.” He said shyly.

Morgan smiled at the interaction between the two. “Okay we should get going so that you can get to sleep pretty boy.”

Garcia stood back up and the three made their way to the SUVs. She placed a hand on the boy's back, and he flinched away from the touch. Garcia took her hand away and gave a sad look to Morgan, which he returned. When they got to the cars, Garcia got into her own, and the other two got into another to head to Morgan’s house.


	15. Wet

Morgan and Spencer made it to the house at about 10 at night. Once they got there, Morgan carried the tired little boy through the front door and towards the bedrooms.

“Okay pretty boy, This is my room, this is the bathroom, and this...” He turned towards the door directly opposite of his and opened it. “... Is your room!”

Although the room was quite basic, with just a bed and a few pieces of furniture, Spencer was amazed that he got his own room. His eyes widened as he looked around the room.

Morgan placed the boy onto the bed and grabbed a large shopping bag that was sitting on the floor. “I had Penelope buy you some clothes, so let's get you into some comfy pajamas okay?”

Spencer nodded his head slowly and took the offered clothes while watching Morgan. He looked down at them warily and then back to the man. Morgan understood his hesitancy. “I’m going to turn around so you can have some privacy, okay?”

“...Okay” Morgan turned around and the little boy quickly put on the light blue pajamas. “I’m done...”

Morgan turned back around. “Good job buddy. Let’s get you to bed.”

Spencer tried to climb onto the tall bed, but was having a hard time. He fell back down onto the floor and looked up to Morgan. He raised his arms to be picked up. Morgan did just this and lifted the boy up and into the bed. 

Spencer laid down under the covers and Morgan got up to leave. “No! Stay please...” He said quietly.

Morgan smiled warmly down at the tiny child. “Okay buddy.”

Morgan got into the bed next to him and started petting his hair. Spencer snuggled into his side. It only took about two minutes for the boy’s breathing to even out. Morgan carefully slid out of the bed without disturbing him. He went to the door and looked back at the peacefully sleeping child. He smiled and turned out the lights, and then headed to his own room. 

*****

_ Spencer was curled up and rocking himself in the corner of the dark basement. Suddenly, the door slammed open and The Man came stomping in. _

_ “Boy! You’re gonna get it this time!” _

_ The Man walked up and roughly grabbed the boy and lifted him up so that their faces were merely inches from each other.  _

_ “What do you think you are doing? Do you really think you could get away from me that easily?!?! I OWN you. You are mine. No one loves you and you will never, EVER, have a family.” _

_ Spencer had tears running down his face and he was breathing heavily. “No… Derek said I deserve to be loved… He said he's my family...” _

_ A devilish grin spread across the larger man’s face. “HA! He’s just saying that to get you to trust him. He wants exactly what I want.” _

_ “No! No… he wouldn’t…”  _

_ “Oh yes he would. And he will. Just wait.” _

_ Spencer couldn’t believe it. Would Derek do that to him? But he said he was family! No! The Man was lying to him! Right? _

_ Spencer was pulled out of his thoughts when the man threw him down to the floor. The boy was momentarily dazed as his head hit the hard cement ground. He was brought back to attention when he heard a belt being undone and then a zipper being pulled down. _

_ “No! Please don’t! I don’t wanna...” _

_ Large hands held him down on the floor despite his struggles. The man knelt down behind him and spread the boy's legs with his knees. He leaned in close and whispered into Spencer’s ear. “You deserve this. Say it.” _

_ “No...” _

_ “SAY IT.”  _

_ “I deserve this...” _

_ “LOUDER!” _

_ “I DESERVE THIS!” _

_ The boy felt a blunt pressure on his behind, and then The Man quickly pressed himself forward. All Spencer felt was an incredible, searing pain run up his spine. _

“No!” Spencer shot up in his new bed, covered in sweat. He was panting harshly and had tears running down his face. After a minute he was able to get his breathing under control . Once he was calm, he realized that he was sitting in wet bed sheets.

“No…” he whispered to himself, voice shaking slightly with fear. 

He needed to fix this before Derek woke up. He carefully slid off of the bed and landed softly on the floor, peeling off the wet sheets as he did. He made his way to the door and had to get onto his tiptoes to reach the door handle. He opened it and peered out into the dark hallway. He rushed out to the bathroom with the soiled sheets. Spencer placed the sheets into the bathtub and then slid to the floor crying. 


	16. Morning

Morgan woke up early in the morning. He groaned and rolled over to his side and got out of the bed. The man yawned, stretched, and made his way out to the hallway.

As he approached his guest room, now Spencer’s room, he saw that the door was slightly open. He slowly and cautiously approached it, pushing it open so he could see inside. The bed was a mess, but Spencer was nowhere to be seen.

Morgan was both confused and concerned for the little boy. Where was he? He turned around and saw the bathroom door was also slightly ajar. He carefully walked to the door and opened it to reveal the small boy sleeping on the floor with red, puffy eyes. 

He walked forward and kneeled next to him. “Spencer. Spencer. Get up buddy.”

The little boy started to shift and then let out a small moan. He tilted his head so that he was facing the location of the sound. He peeled his eyes open and was met with a man's face about a foot from his. 

“Ah!” He shot up and tried to get away from the older man.

“No, no. Spencer it’s okay. It’s Derek remember? You’re okay.”

Spencer was now sitting flush against the side of the bathtub, breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath. He kept glancing behind him into the bathtub. Morgan noticed this and looked into the tub. He saw the sheets that had previously been on Spencer’s bed, now yellow and wet. 

“Spencer, did you have an accident?”

Spencer started bawling. “I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me! I-I I’m s-sorry...”

The small child was beginning to hyperventilate, and Morgan needed to figure out how to comfort him. He slowly reached out a hand. “Spencer, can I touch you?”

“NO!” Spencer’s eyes got impossibly wide and he tried pushing himself further away from Morgan, though the bathtub was in his way. “Please! I don’t wanna! It always hurt…I’ll clean it! I-I’ll clean it p-please just d-don't!”

Morgan realized the boy’s confusion. “No! Spencer, oh god no I would never. You need to believe me. I would never do that to you. Ever.”

“Thats not true. You’re gonna hurt me. Everyone always hurts me...”

Morgan’s heart broke at this. This poor child has been abused his entire life by every man that had been in it. Of course he doesn’t trust anyone! 

“Spencer, look at me.” Spencer slowly lifted his head that had been down on his knees. “I understand that people have always hurt you. I understand that you feel you can’t trust me. But you can. I promise.”

Spencer let out a loud sob and hugged his knees closer to his body. Morgan reached his hand out and touched his shoulder. The boy flinched violently, but Morgan kept his hold and pulled him into an embrace. 

Spencer, though still stiff, hugged Morgan back and cried into his shirt. “Spencer I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. You don’t deserve that.”

The tiny child was still shaking and sobbing into Morgan’s chest. He whispered between the sobs, almost too quietly for Morgan to hear. “B-but I d-do...”

Morgan now had silent tears running down his face. “No you don’t. You are an amazing little boy and you deserve to be happy. Why would you think you deserve all of those terrible things?”

Spencer was slightly calmer now, still crying but he could breathe better. “Cause The Man said I do. He s-said you only being nice because you wanna… you wanna…” The boy started sobbing again and couldn’t finish his sentence. 

Morgan was confused. Hobbs spoke about him? “Buddy, What do you mean he said that about me?”

“I think I had a dream… but it felt real”

“Oh Spencer, it was just a nightmare. Do you want to tell me what happened in the dream? It might make you feel better.”

“... Okay. The Man said that I was his and that you didn’t actually care about me. He said you just wanted what he wanted. Then he… he threw me on the floor and he made me say I deserve it. Then h-he took off his pants a-and… it h-hurt!” Spencer tightened his grip of Morgan’s shirt and sobbed louder.

“Buddy, it wasn’t real. I need you to know that you do not deserve that. I do care about you and I would never do that to you. I promise.”

Spencer looked up at Morgan with wet, hopeful eyes. “You pinky promise?”

Morgan gave a slight chuckle. He joined pinkies with the little boy and shook them gently. “Yes. Pinky promise.”

Spencer jumped onto Morgan and hugged him almost desperately. The larger man wrapped his arms tightly around the boy and rocked him back and forth on the bathroom floor. They stayed like this for about 10 minutes before Morgan decided that they should probably begin getting ready for the day. 

“Okay Buddy. I think we need to start getting ready. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

Spencer still had his head rested on Morgan’s chest, and whispered tiredly. “What are we doing?”

“We are going to the BAU today. You remember all of my friends right?”

Spencer nodded his head. Morgan then stood up, still holding the boy to his chest. 

“Okay. Let’s get going.”

Morgan carried the boy back into his room and took out a pair of jeans and a striped shirt. “Here buddy. I’ll give you some privacy to change. I’ll be right back okay?” After receiving a small nod, he walked out of the room and went to his own room. He changed into a normal work outfit and then made his way back to Spencer.

When he entered the room he saw Spencer trying, and failing, to button his jeans. Morgan waited and watched in the doorway. 

Spencer eventually noticed that Morgan was standing there. He looked around the room warily and then to Morgan. 

He nervously shifted his weight and whispered. “Can I have some help?

“Of course buddy.” Morgan walked forward and kneeled in front of the boy. He quickly buttoned up the jeans and stepped back, gaging his reaction. 

Spencer just stared at Morgan in disbelief. Maybe he could trust him? He just helped him, with his pants no less, and he didn’t do anything. Maybe he wanted something in return?

Morgan watched Spencer’s face as he thought. He looked confused, but then suddenly his face displayed… acceptance? 

Spencer moved forward and kneeled down. He reached forward for the man’s belt. Morgan caught his hand before he could undo the belt. “Oh no Spencer, don’t do that. You don’t have to do that ever again.”

Spencer tilted his head to the side slightly and then smiled. “Really?”   
  


“Yes. Really. You are safe here. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Spencer jumped into Morgan’s arms and hugged him tight. “Thank you...”   
  


Morgan hugged him back. “Of course Spencer. Why don’t we go get some breakfast?”

Spencer nodded and ended the hug. Morgan stood and grabbed Spencer’s hand and went to get them breakfast.


	17. Hello Again

The two guzzled down eggs and toast for breakfast, then made their way to the BAU. After the events of that morning, Spencer had been clutching to Morgan. He didn’t want to leave him. Despite what The Man had told him in his dream, Spencer felt deep down in his heart that he could trust Derek. He couldn’t explain why though. 

Once at the office, Morgan showed Spencer around. He showed him his desk, Garcia’s office, and finally the briefing room. The team, other than Garcia who was in her ‘lair’, were all hanging around the round table. When they entered, all eyes turned to the two. Spencer hid himself behind Morgan’s legs.

“Hey guys. Spencer can you say hi?”

Spencer gave a small, shy wave to the group. Hotch, Rossi, and Prentiss gave smiles in return, and JJ gave a bright smile as well as a wave. 

Morgan looked up to see the evidence board full of pictures of Hobbs and his many victims. He had to talk to the team about Hobbs since he was still at large, but he didn’t want Spencer to have to hear about it. 

Morgan turned and kneeled in front of the boy. “Spencer, why don’t you go and play with Penelope while I talk to my friends for a minute. You remember where her room is right?”

Spencer gave him an apprehensive nod. Morgan, noticing his hesitancy, handed the child a bag that he had brought with them. “Here buddy. Your bear is in there as well as all of your other new toys. I’m sure Garcia would love to draw with you or build some legos. Okay?”

Spencer, now excited to show Penelope his toys, grabbed the bag and hauled it out of the room.

Morgan watched as the boy walked through the bullpen and then around the corner towards Garcia’s office. He turned back to the team, took a seat, and let out a sigh while putting his head in his hands. 

Prentiss gave a quiet chuckle. “That bad?”

Morgan sat back up and ran his hands over his bald head. “Well last night was fine, but this morning was a bit of a challenge.”

“What happened?” Asked Rossi.

“Well, I woke up and he wasn’t in his bed. I found him sleeping on the bathroom floor. Apparently sometime during the night he had a nightmare and then wet the bed. He tried to clean the sheets in the bathtub. When I woke him up he got really scared that I would hurt him because he had an accident! He thought I was going to… he thought I was going to fucking rape him!”

Everyone looked incredibly sad. JJ covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh god that poor baby. That’s probably what happened when he made mistakes before.”

“Probably. Apparently in his dream Hobbs raped him and told him he deserved it. And that I don’t actually care about him and just want to hurt him like Hobbs did. I want this bastard dead.”

Hotch spoke up with his monotone voice, though it sounded slightly angry. “I’m with you Morgan. Unfortunately, I think he is coming here. He clearly wants Spencer back based on his little stunt at the hospital, and his car was found abandoned just 50 miles from here.” 

“Well he's never laying his hands on Spencer ever again.” Said Morgan in an angry tone. 

They spent some time discussing Hobbs and the case in general. After a while they dispersed and went to work on paperwork. Morgan made his way to retrieve Spencer from Garcia’s office. Once he got there, he pushed open the door. He saw Garcia typing away at her computers, but Spencer was nowhere to be seen.

“Baby Girl, where’s Spencer?”

Garcia turned around with a confused look on her face. “What do you mean? I haven't seen him since you showed him around this morning.”

His stomach dropped and he ran out of her office. “Spencer!”

Morgan ran into the bullpen looking around frantically. All of the members of the team looked at him surprised. “Has anyone seen Spencer?!?”

*****

Spencer walked through the bullpen with the bag of toys practically dragging behind him. He turned the corner and could see Penelope’s office at the end of the long hall. He continued waddling dutifully to her room, but was suddenly pulled backwards by the collar of his shirt and spun around. 

After blinking a few times to steady his dizziness, Spencer found himself looking at a large man in a janitor's uniform. Looking into the man’s eyes, the boy immediately knew who this was and started trembling. Even though he had colored and cut his hair and changed his appearance, Spencer could still see the evil in his dark and soulless eyes. He went to scream out for Derek, but Hobbs slammed his hand over the child’s mouth, effectively silencing him. 

Spencer was then dragged by the man into a small janitor’s closet. Hobb’s kept his hand in place while pulling out a knife from his pocket. 

“You make a single noise and I will gut you. Got it boy?” Hobbs said in a harsh voice. 

Spencer shakily nodded, and the man removed his hand. He didn’t say anything, though he slowly backed away from the man that had tortured him for years. 

Hobb’s smirked and walked closer to the boy, who continued to back away until he hit the wall. The larger man put one of his hands on Spencer’s neck, while he held the knife against his cheek. The boy shut his eyes and let out a small whimper.

“Hello Boy. Did you miss me?” There was no response from the child, whose eyes were still screwed shut. “LOOK AT ME.”

Spencer tore his eyes open and looked into the evil man’s eyes. “You have been a very, very bad boy. Did you really think you could get away from me?” 

Spencer went to answer the man’s question, but was only able to let out a pitiful squeak as the hand around his neck tightened. “I didn’t say you could speak.” Hobbs said, his voice dripping with venom. 

“Now listen close.” The man leaned in so that he was close to the child’s face. “I WILL get you back. You WILL be mine again. Don’t worry, it won’t be today.” He let out a slight chuckle. “But it will be soon. So enjoy this fake little family while you can.”

Spencer was now clawing at the hand around his throat, desperate to get air. “But while I have you here… I think we should have some fun.” With that, Hobbs released the boy, who fell to the ground breathing in harshly.

The man unbuckled his belt and pulled down his zipper. Spencer, knowing exactly what those sounds mean, started whimpering. “No… Please...”

“SHUT IT! Now suck...”

He grabbed the boy harshly and pulled him up from the floor. He forced his mouth open and shoved his erect flesh into his mouth. Mercilessly, he began pumping in and out while the boy choked and gagged. 

After a few agonizing minutes, a disgusting liquid was shot down the boy’s throat, and Hobbs pulled out of his mouth. Spencer coughed and struggled to breathe while tears streamed down his face. 

Suddenly, a scream could be heard from outside the door. “Spencer!”

Hobbs pulled the boy back up and held him close to his face. “Now listen up Boy. You tell anybody that you saw me, I’ll kill this new ‘family’ of yours one by one. I’ll kill Derek Morgan last, and while he bleeds to death, I’ll fuck you in front of him. Then I’ll gut you and cut you until you are unrecognisable. Do you understand Boy?”

Spencer was terrified. He couldn't let anyone, especially Derek, get hurt because of him. He quickly nodded his head and was roughly shoved back down to the floor. Hobbs opened the door and practically threw the boy into the hallway, and tossed his bag down next to him. 

As Hobbs closed the door and started walking away, he turned around and put his finger to his lips. “Shhh...” He smirked and walked casually into the bullpen, past the frantic Derek Morgan, and out to the elevator.


	18. Lost

Morgan ran into the bullpen looking around frantically. All of the members of the team looked at him surprised. “Has anyone seen Spencer?!?”

“I haven’t seen him since he left the briefing room.” Said Prentiss, slightly confused.

“Isn’t Spencer with Garcia?” JJ said, voice dripping with concern.

As JJ spoke, Garcia ran (as well as she could in her heels) into the room. “No! I haven’t seen him since his tour around the building!”

Morgan ran his hands over his head, panicking. “Oh god we have to find him...”

Because of the commotion, both Hotch and Rossi had come out of their offices to see what was going on. As the unit chief, Hotch took control of the situation. “Morgan, calm down. We will find him. Let’s all fan out and search the area.”

The team spread out in search of the missing child. Morgan and Garcia decided to go look in the area near her office. When they turned a corner, they could see the missing boy standing, swaying slightly, and staring blankly ahead of him at the end of the long hall. 

Right when Morgan caught sight of Spencer, he ran down the hall towards him. “Spencer!”

Once he got to the boy, he kneeled down and pulled him into a tight embrace. Spencer, though, did not return the hug. His arms were kept down by his sides and he continued to stare forward with wet eyes. 

“Oh my god Spencer are you okay? Where were you? What happened?” Morgan was still holding the child in a tight hug as he asked his questions. 

Spencer was violently shaking, almost vibrating in Morgan’s arms. “I-I g-got l-lost...”

Morgan released the boy from the hug but kept his hands on his shoulders. “Spencer?” The agent looked into Spencer’s eyes, but the boy wouldn’t make eye contact. He simply stared forward, unseeing, over the man’s shoulder. 

“Spencer? Are you okay?”

Spencer didn’t move from his position, eyes unchanged. He whispered quietly, almost inaudible. “I-I was s-scared...”

“It’s okay buddy. I’ve got you now...” Morgan continued to console the withdrawn child. He looked over his shoulder to Garcia and mouthed ‘call Hotch’. She nodded and called him.

_ “Hotchner.” _

“Bossman, we found Spencer. ”

_ “Good. What happened?” _

“He said he got lost. But he’s shaking and is just staring and won’t look at Morgan. Can you get down here?”

_ “I’m on my way.” _

With that Garcia hung up the phone and walked back over to Morgan and Spencer. After about two minutes, Hotch had found his two agents comforting the tiny boy in the middle of a hallway. 

Hotch kneeled down next to Morgan. “Spencer.” No response. “Spencer. I need you to look at me.” He said sternly.

Reluctantly, Spencer shifted his eyes so that they looked into Hotch’s. Right as he did so he broke down. He let out a loud sob and folded in on himself. 

Hotch looked from the boy towards Morgan. “Let’s bring him to my office.”

Morgan nodded to Hotch and reached to grab the crying child. He violently flinched away from the touch at first, but once he realized that it was Morgan he allowed the agent to pick him up. They moved through the bullpen, ignoring the concerned looks from their team and the annoyed glances from other agents.

Once inside the office, Spencer was gently placed on the sofa. He was still crying and slightly hyperventilating. He pulled his legs into his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rocked himself slowly, trying to comfort himself. 

Morgan wasn’t entirely sure how to help Spencer right now, so he looked to Hotch for help. The elder agent moved to the door, but before he opened it, he turned to Morgan. “Just comfort him. Don’t press for answers right now. Take as much time as you need.” With that, he stepped out of the office, leaving only Morgan and Spencer behind. 

Morgan moved to sit on the sofa next to the boy. He gently placed a hand on the boy’s arm, which elicited a slight flinch. He pulled Spencer into his lap and cradled him in his arms. The boy continued crying and whimpering, while Morgan shushed him and rocked him gently. He eventually calmed to the point where he could breathe normally but he still occasionally let out a soft whimper.

Spencer felt safer in Derek’s arms. He was still really scared of The Man, but he felt so, so much safer being held by him. But was that fair? He was going to get Derek killed! And all of his new nice aunts and uncles! He wished he could just tell Derek that The Man was here. 

Then Spencer started to think about what happened in that closet. He suddenly felt sick. He swiftly moved his hand up to his mouth. Morgan took notice of this. “Spencer, are you okay?”

The boy wanted to answer, but just felt his mouth fill with bile. He pushed himself off of Morgan and threw up all over the floor. The agent was startled but immediately began rubbing comforting circles on the little boy’s back. Spencer continued to heave until there was nothing left in his stomach. 

He leaned back against Morgan’s legs and tried to catch his breath. “I’m sorry...” He said, eyes clenched shut.

“It’s okay buddy. I’m just going to call the janitor to clean it up...”

Morgan was cut off by a frightened cry from the boy. “NO!”

The older man was slightly startled by this outburst. “Spencer, it’s okay. Calm down a little. It’ll be better once we get it cleaned up.”

Spencer was terrified. He didn’t want The Man anywhere near him or Derek. The shivering boy crawled back into Morgan’s lap and fisted his hands into his shirt, while wetting it with his tears. “Please… I don’t wanna be here...”

“Okay, okay. Do you want to go into the briefing room from before?”

“No… I wanna go back to Derek’s house! Please… please…I don’t wanna be here...”

Morgan was confused, but if Spencer wanted to go home, he would take him home. He quickly sent Hotch a text explaining that he was leaving and that a janitor needed to clean up his office, and then wrapped his arms around the boy again.

Morgan stood up with the sobbing child cradled in his arms. He carefully stepped around the pile of vomit and made his way out of the BAU.


	19. Lie

By the time the two reached Morgan’s house, Spencer had calmed down significantly. Morgan set the boy down on the couch and sat down on a chair across from it. They sat in silence for a minute, during which Spencer fidgeted nervously. 

“Okay Spencer, could you tell me why you got so upset today?”

The boy looked down and continued fidgeting. “I’m sorry...” he whispered.

“It’s okay buddy I just want to know what happened.”

“I-I uh got lost. And I got s-scared...”

“That’s it?”

Spencer’s eyes darted around the room but never met Morgan’s. “Uh… yeah.”

“Kid, I can tell there’s something you're not telling me.”

Spencer was scared. If he told, then Derek would get hurt. He needed to come up with a lie. “I didn’t feel good...”

“You felt sick? Is that why you threw up?”

The little boy looked up and nodded. Morgan gently grabbed the boy and pulled him onto his lap. He wrapped one arm around him and began to pet his hair. “I’m sorry Spencer. I should have stayed with you. Do you still feel sick?”

Spencer shook his head against the agent’s chest. “Okay. Do you think it was breakfast?”

The boy nodded his head. “I think I ate too much...”

“Okay well your stomach is still super small because you’re not used to eating much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No it’s okay. You don’t have to say sorry. Are you sure you weren’t upset about the team?”

“No! I like them. They're nice.”

“Well that’s good. I was thinking of having them come over this weekend for a barbecue so you can get to know them better. Would that be okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. How about you get some sleep?”

Spencer nodded and Morgan moved him to his room. He laid him down on the bed and tucked him in. 

“Derek?”

“Yes?”

“Can I have my teddy?”

Morgan smiled kindly down at the boy. “Of course. Give me one second.”

Morgan got up and got the child’s teddy bear. He went back and handed it to the boy. Spencer hugged it close to himself and smiled at the larger man. 

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now get some sleep.”

Morgan leaned down and kissed his forehead before turning off the lights and leaving the room. 

Morgan went into the living room and sat on the couch. He let out a sigh and rubbed his head with his hands. He then pulled out his cell and dialed in a well known number.

_ “Hotchner.” _

“Hey Hotch. Sorry about the mess and running out like that.”

_ “It’s fine Morgan. Is Spencer okay?” _

“Yeah. Apparently he got lost on the way to Garcia’s office. He also said that he was feeling sick. I guess he ate too much food for breakfast.”

_ “Are you sure that’s it? He was pretty upset.” _

“I don’t know. I mean he practically shut down. That feels like a bit of an overreaction for getting lost. But then again, he’s a traumatized little boy so who knows.”

_ “Well I’m glad he’s feeling better now.” _

“Yeah. I’m also calling to ask if the team could come over this weekend for a barbeque. I want Spencer to get used to the team.”

_ “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Will Spencer be okay with so many people?” _

“I asked him and he said he was fine with the idea. He says he likes the team and that you are all nice.”

_ “Okay. I’m glad he feels comfortable with us. I’ll let the team know. Are families invited as well?” _

“Yup. I want Spencer to meet Jack and Henry too. I really want them to be friends.”

_ “I’ll explain the situation to Jack, hopefully he and Henry won’t be too much for Spencer.” _

“Hopefully. Well, I’m sorry again for the mess in your office.”

_ Morgan, you do realize I have a son right? Vomit is part of the job description.  _

Morgan chuckled. “Well Okay Hotch. I’ll see you and the team tomorrow.”

_ “Goodbye Morgan.” _

“Bye Hotch.”

Morgan made his way to Spencer’s room and looked down on the sleeping child. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. How could someone hurt such a small and vulnerable thing? Morgan gently brushed a piece of his hazelnut hair out of his face and bent down to kiss his forehead. He then moved to a seat on the other side of the room to watch over him.


	20. Nightmare

_ Spencer was sitting in a car seat in the back of his father’s car. It was the middle of the night and they were driving through the desert. _

_ “Dada where we going?” _

_ “Shut up.” _

_ Spencer immediately stopped talking and looked down into his lap. They continued driving for 10 more minutes before William Reid stopped the car. Spencer looked out the window and couldn’t see any buildings. Just miles and miles of desert. _

_ “Why we stop?” _

_ “I said SHUT UP.” _

_ “sowwy...” _

_ Right as Spencer apologized to his father, another car drove up and stopped in front of their car. William stepped out and went around to Spencer’s door. He opened it and took his son out of the car.  _

_ The man from the other car approached the father and son.  _

_ “Hey Will. It’s been awhile. This the kid?” _

_ “Yeah. Now give me the money.” _

_ “About that, I’ve only got $20,000...” _

_ “Colby, I said $25,000.”  _

_ “Yeah I know but I’m a bit short right now. But I’ve got a better offer.” _

_ “Yeah and what’s that.” _

_ “Take the $20,000, and you can come and have a piece whenever you want.” _

_ William stood thinking, still holding onto his small son, who looked incredibly confused with what was happening.  _

_ “Okay. Fine.” _

_ The man handed over a wad of cash. William put Spencer on the ground behind him, and counted the money. Once he was sure it was actually $20,000, he picked up the child again and handed him to Colby. _

_ “Hello Boy.” Colby said to Spencer, smirking. _

_ Spencer looked between the scary man and his father. William turned and moved back to his car. Right when Spencer saw that his father was leaving, he began fighting and squirming.  _

_ “Dada! Come back!” _

_ Spencer kicked out at the man holding him, hitting him in his groin. He fell to the ground as the man screamed out in pain.  _

_ Spencer tried to get up and run to his father’s car. “Dada!” _

_ Colby recovered and grabbed the child. “Oh you’re gonna get it now!”  _

_ He smacked Spencer hard across the face. The child started crying and cupped his reddening cheek. “W-who a-awe you?” _

_ “I’m your new owner.” _

_ The man grabbed the boy by his hair and started to drag him to his car. Spencer began flailing and clawing at the hands in his hair. _

_ “DADA! PWEASE!” _

_ William Reid simply got into his car, turned it on, and drove in the opposite direction back towards his home. He never even looked back.  _

_ “DADA COME BACK PWEASE!” _

_ “Shut it boy! You are mine now.” _

_ Colby opened his trunk and threw Spencer in. He slammed it closed before getting into the driver’s seat.  _

_ “NOO! LET ME OUT PWEASE!!!” _

*****

At some point while watching Spencer, Morgan fell asleep. He woke up to a squeaking noise. He groggily opened his eyes and looked around to find the source of the noise. His eyes finally landed on Spencer, who was thrashing around in the bed, making it squeak from the movement. 

He quickly got up and kneeled next to the bed. “Spencer. It’s okay it’s just a dream.”

“Dada Pwease!”

He’s dreaming about his father, the poor thing. “Spencer wake up.”

“Dada come back pwease!”

The boy was still thrashing around, so Morgan placed his hands on Spencer’s shoulders to try and steady him. “Spencer! Spencer, wake up!”

“No! Let me out pwease!” 

“Spencer!”

With that, Spencer quickly sat up, eyes wide and breathing hard. His eyes darted around the room and landed on Morgan. He sighed with relief that his protector was there. Morgan rubbed circles on his back to try and calm him.

“It’s okay Spencer I’m here. It was just a dream. Are you okay?”

Still having a hard time breathing, he simply nodded. 

They sat for a few minutes in silence. Finally Morgan broke the silence once Spencer was calm and had stopped crying.

“Spencer, what was your dream about?”

“My dad...”

“What about your dad?”

“It was the night he uh...” Spencer shifted uncomfortably against the older man. “It was the night I met The Man...”

Morgan was already worried about what the boy was going to say. He quickly grabbed his phone out of his pocket and turned on his voice recorder. 

“Okay. Tell me what happened.”

“We were driving really late at night in the desert. We stopped and another car came. It was The Man.” Morgan could feel Spencer shiver against him at the mention of his abuser.

“My dad started talking to him and he was mad...”

“Why was your dad mad?”

“The Man didn’t have enough money...”

Morgan had a feeling where this was going. “Spencer, what do you mean?”

“The Man had $20,000 but my dad wanted $25,000. I was really confused.” His innocent eyes stared up at Morgan. “What was the money for?”

Morgan was furious. This bastard  _ sold _ his son. “Don’t worry about that Spencer. Finish your story.”

“Okay... Dad was mad but the Man said he could have a piece whenever he wanted. I don’t know what that means.” Spencer shrugged. “But then my dad handed me to the Man. He was so scary. I didn’t want to go with him. I kicked him and he dropped me. I tried to run to dad but the Man got me and hit me. I wanted for dad to come back but he just got in his car and left… Then the Man put m-me in h-his trunk. I-I was s-so s-scared...”

Morgan pulled the shaking boy into a tight hug and rocked him gently. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Morgan leaned over and turned off the recording. 

Spencer looked up into Morgan’s eyes. “Why did my dad do that?”

Morgan practically felt his heart break at the pleading look in the boy’s wet eyes. “Spencer, your father is a very, very bad man. He did unimaginable things to you and that is why he is going to prison. He may be your father, but he was never your dad. A dad is someone who loves and cares for you. I am so sorry that happened to you Spencer.”

Spencer spoke so quietly that Morgan almost missed what he said. “Can you be my dad?”

Morgan was surprised by this, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish. Spencer continued speaking before he could get a word out. “Just ‘cause my father is in prison and you are watching me now, so you are my guardian.” As he spoke he made nervous gestures with his hands. “ A-and you care about me and you said that a real daddy should care about me. And y-you feel like a d-daddy more than my f-father does and...”

Morgan cut him off before he could continue his nervous rant. “Oh Spencer I do care about you. I love you. And I would love to be your daddy.”

“You l-love m-me?”

“I do. I love you so much.”

“Thank you...”

“For what?”

“For being so nice. And loving me. The Man said no one could love a b-bad boy like me.”

Morgan pulled Spencer away from him slightly so he could look into his eyes. “Spencer, you are not a bad boy. You are a wonderful little boy. Colby Hobbs is a bad man, you are not a bad boy. Okay?”

Spencer leaned back into the hug. “Okay...”

After a few moments of silence Spencer spoke again. “I love you too...”

  
  



	21. Pancakes

After sitting together for a while longer, the silence was interrupted by a loud growl sound. Morgan chuckled and Spencer’s face turned red. “Is someone hungry?”

“Uh huh.”

“Well then let’s get you something to fill that stomach.”

Spencer hopped down from Morgan's lap and took his hand. The older man led him into the kitchen. 

“Okay Spencer, what do you want to eat?”

Spencer shrugged. “I don’t know...”

“Okay… Well what’s your favorite food?”

Spencer thought for a moment, and then his face lit up. “My mommy used to make me pancakes!”

Morgan smiled down at him and ruffled his messy hair. “Breakfast for dinner, I like your style kid. Can you help me make them?”

Spencer smiled. “Yeah! I can help.” He looked around for a second before lifting his arms to Morgan. “Up?”

Morgan picked up the child and gently placed him on the edge of the counter so that his legs were dangling off. 

“Okay buddy. What kind of pancakes do you like? Plain? Banana? Chocolate chip?”

“Chocolate chip! Chocolate chip!” he said, bouncing slightly. 

“Chocolate chip it is. Great choice.”

Morgan opened one of his cabinets and pulled out a big bag of pancake mix. He then grabbed a measuring cup and a bowl. 

He handed the measuring cup to the boy. “Can you measure out a cup of the mix?”

“Yeah!”

Morgan chuckled at the child’s excitement and went to measure out the necessary amount of water. When he turned back around, Spencer had the measuring cup filled with the mix. “Good job buddy. Throw it in the bowl.”

Spencer then flung the mix into the bowl and it went everywhere. Most went in the bowl, but the rest went on the counter, onto Spencer, and onto Morgan. Spencer looked mortified. “I’m so sorry!”

Morgan started laughing, and Spencer just stared at him. Morgan finished laughing and looked at the serious child. “It’s okay buddy.” He took a bit of mix off the counter and threw it at Spencer. “Look it’s okay to have fun and get messy.”

Spencer now had pancake mix on his face and in his hair. But he looked confusedly at Morgan, and then shook his head. “No. Messes are bad. I get punished for messes...”

“No Spencer you won’t get punished.” Morgan reached into his pocket and brought out the photo of Henry covered in flour that JJ had sent him. “Look, this is Henry, JJ’s son. See? He’s having fun and he wasn’t punished.”

Spencer looked at the photo and then him with uncertainty. “No punish?”

“No punishment. I promise.”

Spencer cautiously reached down and grabbed a bit of mix. He brought it up and threw it in Morgan’s face just as he did to him. Now Morgan’s face was white and he acted startled, and then started laughing. After a few moments, Spencer joined him in laughing. He grabbed another handful of mix and threw it at the larger man’s shirt. Morgan did the same.

After a few minutes of playing, Spencer’s stomach growled again. The two, now covered in flour, stopped their food fight. 

“Well, it looks like we should continue making these pancakes huh?”

“Yeah!”

Morgan poured the water into the bowl with the mix and handed a spoon to Spencer. “Here, you stir it.” 

Spencer did just that, while Morgan grabbed a bag of chocolate chips. He threw in a handful to the batter, and then grabbed a few and offered them to Spencer. He took them, and popped them into his mouth. 

“Mmmm… I love chocolate.”

“Chocolate is really yummy.” Morgan popped a few into his mouth. “When was the last time you had chocolate?”

“One year, 9 months, and 14 days ago.”

Morgan was surprised, and then remembered back to his interview with the boy in the hospital. “Buddy, how did you know that?”

Spencer cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Morgan turned and put some batter onto a heated pan. “That’s just a very specific answer.”

“Oh. I have a good memory. My mommy always said so. I just remembered the last day I ated chocolate and did the math to figure out how long it’s been.” Spencer shrugged as if it was no big deal. 

Morgan flipped the pancakes and turned back to the boy. “Wow Spencer. That’s really impressive.”

“My mommy said I was a fast learner. She taught me to read and do math.”

“Do you like to read?”

Spencer’s face lit up. “I LOVE to read! It’s the best! I didn’t get to read a lot with The Man but sometimes he’d leave out a book by accident. Like Mr. Rossi or, uh, Uncle Dave’s book. But my favorite book is ‘Empty Planet’ by David Hansberry, but that’s just a pseudonym for Ursula Kent.”

Morgan just stood there dumbfounded. Yeah, this kid is really smart. “Well. Maybe we can go to a bookstore eventually and get you that book.”

“Ooh can we!”

Morgan chuckled. “Sure bud.” He then took the last few pancakes off the stove and cut some up on a plate for the little boy. 

“Here you go buddy. Do you want syrup?”

“Yes please!”

Morgan poured a generous amount of syrup onto the boy’s pancakes and them some onto his own.

Spencer grabbed his fork and brought a piece of pancake up to his mouth and chewed it happily. “Mmmm. These are so yummy!”

“‘I'm glad you like them.”

They sat and ate together until they were both full. Morgan took the dirty dishes to the sink to clean up later.

He turned around and looked at the little boy. He was not only covered in pancake mix from their little food fight, but he had syrup all over his mouth and hands. “Wow buddy. We definitely made a mess. Why don’t we give you a bath before you go back to bed?”

“Okay. Can I have help down?”

Morgan lifted the child off the counter and lowered him to the floor.

“I’m going to clean up really quick, but you go on to the bathroom, okay?”

“Okay.”

Morgan watched as Spencer waddled off to the bathroom. He quickly cleaned up the dishes and the mess from the food fight. He then made his way to the bathroom. 

When he got there, Spencer was sitting on the closed toilet swinging his little legs. He turned on the water and started filling the tub. “Ready to get clean, pretty boy?”

Spencer hopped down off of the toilet. “Yeah.” He scrunched up his face and held out his syrup-covered hands. “I’m sticky.”

Morgan laughed. “Yes you are. Okay, let’s get you out of these dirty clothes.”

Spencer’s smile faded and he clutched his little fists into his shirt and backed away from Morgan. “I can do it...”

Morgan sighed. “Spencer, I need to help wash you. I can’t leave you in the tub alone, you could drown or get hurt.”

Spencer didn’t move from his defensive position, so Morgan continued talking. “I already told you, I’m not going to hurt you. You don’t have to worry.”

“I-I know, b-but you n-not gonna love m-me anymore...”

Morgan was taken aback by this. “What do you mean Spencer?”

The boy started fidgeting his hands and shifting his body weight. “You g-gonna see my b-body, a-and then you’ll h-hate me...”

Morgan closed his eyes and sighed, then opened them back up to look at Spencer. “Spencer. I know that you have scars from your abuse. That won’t make me not love you. Plus, I already saw you when I first found you, and I still love you.”

Spencer was still unconvinced. Morgan decided to try something different. He took off his shirt, making Spencer shrink back even further. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. Look.” He pointed to a few different scars on his chest and back from various injuries. “See? I have scars too. They aren’t bad things.”

Spencer traced his hand over one of Morgan’s scars. “Okay...” he said reluctantly.

The boy cautiously took off his shirt to reveal his torso, which was littered with scars and bruises from Hobbs’ abuse. He then tried to take off his jeans but couldn’t get the button undone. He looked up to Morgan, silently asking for help. 

Morgan raised his hands as a sign of peace before going to undo his pants. Once the button was undone, he moved away from the boy. Spencer then pulled down his pants and underwear. Now naked, the boy shifted uncomfortably and tried to cover himself. 

Morgan checked the water to make sure it was the right temperature, and then he added some bubble bath soap and mixed it around to make tons of bubbles. 

“Go on and get in buddy.”

Spencer cautiously stepped into the bath and sunk down into the water. Luckily, the bubbles covered his lower body so he felt slightly more comfortable. 

Morgan started to wash the little boy who was tense and had his eyes tightly shut. “It’s okay Spencer. You’re alright...”

Morgan continued to whisper reassurance to the boy while he washed him. Eventually he finished with his body, so he moved onto his hair. He poured a generous amount of shampoo onto the boy’s hair and started scrubbing it. 

Spencer slowly opened his eyes and became less tense. He didn’t like his body being touched, but his hair wasn’t that bad. Morgan stepped back to grab a cup. When he did, Spencer brought his hands up and started rubbing his bubbly hair. He then pushed all of his hair to the middle of his head to make a spike. 

When Morgan turned around he smiled when he saw Spencer playing in the bath, pushing his hair into a large spike. “Wow, I like the new hairdo kid.”

Spencer smiled brightly up at the man and poked a few bubbles, popping them. Morgan loved seeing Spencer act like a normal child, even if it was only little things. 

“Okay, let’s finish washing you up.”

Morgan took a cup and ran the water over the boy’s hair until it was clean. He took the plug out of the drain and let the water run out. He took Spencer out of the tub and wrapped a towel around him. “Let’s go to your room and get you in some comfy pajamas.”

They walked to his room and Spencer dried himself off with the towel. Morgan handed him some fuzzy plaid pj bottoms, a child’s FBI t-shirt, and a pair of underwear. When the boy was finished changing, he lifted him into the tall bed and tucked him under the blanket.

“Can you read me a story?”

“Of course bud, what do you want me to read?”

“Um… Can you read Where The Wild Things Are? From JJ?”

Morgan was slightly surprised by this request based on his advanced reading skills, but he was still a 5 year old, so he still enjoys childlike things. Morgan grabbed the book JJ had gifted him, and opened it to the first page. 

“The night wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another...”


	22. Party

Morgan and Spencer spent Saturday playing and reading. They built extravagant lego creations, drew colorful drawings, and read plenty of books. By the time 4:00 rolled around, Morgan noticed that Spencer was becoming more and more quiet and reserved. 

“Spencer, what’s wrong?”

Spencer sat fidgeting with his hands. “I’m just nervous… What if they don’t like me?”

“Spencer, my team already loves you, and their families will love you too. I know Jack and Henry are super excited to meet you.”

Spencer scrunched up his face. “Me? Why?”

Morgan’s heart hurt hearing the pure confusion in the boy’s voice. “Because you’re a wonderful little boy and they want to be friends with you.”

Spencer looked unconvinced, but wasn’t able to respond because the doorbell rang, causing him to jump. Morgan put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ll be right back okay?”

Morgan got up, leaving Spencer on the living room couch. He went and opened his front door. Standing there was Garcia and Prentiss.

“Hello my beautiful chocolate adonis! Where is my new nephew? I need to see that cutie pie!”

Morgan chuckled and let them in. “He’s in the living room Baby Girl. Remember, be careful with him.”

Garcia rushed past him towards the living room. Prentiss put a hand on Morgan’s shoulder. “I’ll try to keep her at bay.” Prentiss walked after Garcia as Morgan laughed.

Garcia raced in front of Spencer and kneeled down so they were face to face. “Ahhh my adorable baby boy! Can I hug you?”

Spencer nervously nodded and was quickly enveloped in a hug. He tensed at first but then melted into the hug. Garcia gives great hugs. After the hug ended, Spencer looked to see Prentiss standing behind her. 

He offered a small wave to her. “Hi Emily...”

“Hi Spencer. Is Morgan treating you right?”

The little boy gave an enthusiastic nod. “Uh huh, Derek is the best!”

Prentiss smirked at Morgan and ruffled Spencer’s frizzy hair. The doorbell rang again, so Morgan left Spencer with the girls to go open it. It was Hotch and his son. “Hey Hotch, hey Jack. Come on in.”

“Hello Morgan. I explained the situation to Jack, so he knows to be careful around Spencer.”

“Good. Jack, Spencer is in the living room.”

Jack nodded and started walking to the next room, followed by the two adults. Spencer saw Jack walking into the room and cautiously slid off of the couch. He stood staring at the floor, shifting his weight uncomfortably. Jack slowly approached until he was in front of the nervous boy. 

“Hi Spencer. My name is Jack.”

Spencer looked up at the new boy and gave a quick smile. “Hi Jack. Is Aaron your daddy?”

“Yeah. And your new dad Derek is my uncle and my dad is your uncle now so we are cousins!”

Spencer’s eyes widened with disbelief. “We’re cousins?”

“Yeah! Do you wanna play?” he said, gesturing to the box of legos.

Spencer looked over Jack’s shoulder to Morgan, who gave him a nod of support. He looked back to the new boy. “Sure.”

The boys sat down and started building with the legos. The rest of the team began prepping for the barbeque while the two played. Morgan kept glancing at Spencer to make sure he was okay, and he seemed to be having a fun time, actually smiling and enthusiastically playing. 

Eventually the doorbell rang again, and Morgan excused himself to answer it. Right when he opened the door, Henry ran into the house, despite his parent’s attempts to stop him.

“JACK!!!”

Henry ran to Jack, and hugged him jumping up and down. Spencer, scared of the energetic child, scooted away from the two and started rocking himself. Both of the other children noticed this so they stopped jumping. 

“Henry, my dad said we have to be careful around Spencer. He’s scared.” Jack said.

Henry plopped himself down in front of the boy and Jack carefully sat next to him. “Hi Spencer. My name’s Henry. Why are you scared?”

Spencer continued rocking and didn’t answer him. Jack spoke instead. “My dad said that Spencer was hurt by a bad guy for a really long time. Now he’s in a new place with new people so he’s scared.”

“Oh. It’s okay Spencer. Uncle Derek is really nice. I’m sorry I scared you before.”

Spencer slowly stopped rocking and looked up at Henry. “I-It’s o-okay...”

With that, the adults were finished preparing the food, so Morgan came over to the group of kids. “Hey guys, let's move this out to the backyard, okay?”

Henry and Jack got up and started walking to the door, while Spencer raised his arms as a signal he wanted to be carried. Morgan picked him up and followed the two other boys. Once in the backyard, Morgan placed Spencer on the grass next to the other children.

He left the kids to play and walked over to the patio where the rest of his team were. Rossi had arrived, bringing with him various types of alcohol. Will was cooking on the grill while the rest were gathered around in a discussion. When Morgan got to the group they turned to him, and Rossi spoke. “So, how’s it feel to be a dad?”

Morgan let out a sigh before speaking. “Well, we’ve had our ups and downs. The panic attack at the office was definitely a setback, but he was better afterwards. I was able to get him to open up a bit at dinner though.”

“How so?” questioned Prentiss.

“Well we had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner, I know it’s not very healthy but I plan on spoiling the kid, and I had him help me make it. I told him to throw the mix in the bowl, and he did exactly that.” He let out a chuckle. “The mix went everywhere. He, of course, was terrified that he would be punished for making a mess. So I started a bit of a food fight...”

Garcia squealed. “Ahhh! That’s so cute! Did you take a picture?!”

“No, sorry Baby Girl. But he really was cute. He was covered in the stuff!”

“Based on that, I think he and Henry might be good friends.” JJ said in a joking tone. 

Everyone turned to look at the playing kids. Jack and Henry were kicking a ball between each other, whereas Spencer was just sitting on the ground, running his hand through the grass. It was obvious that Jack and Henry were trying to include their new playmate, but he was uninterested.

“I wish he would play more with Jack and Henry...” Morgan sighed.

Prentiss could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Morgan, Spencer was playing great with Jack before with the legos. He probably just doesn’t care for soccer.”

The team watched as Spencer pulled some of the grass out of the ground and inspected it up close to his face. 

“That might be it, but look how enthralled he is with the grass. I bet he hasn’t even touched grass since before he was taken.” Hotch said. 

Morgan let out a low growl at the word ‘taken’. “He wasn’t taken.”

Everyone looked confused. Prentiss put a hand on his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“His father sold him to Hobbs.”

“Excuse me?!” Garcia exclaimed.

“Spencer had a nightmare yesterday about the first time he met Hobbs. I recorded him recounting it to me just in case. Here, listen.”

Morgan pulled out his phone and turned on the recording. Once it finished, everyone looked either sad, angry, or both.

“How could someone sell their child?!” JJ said, voice sharp with anger. 

Morgan was clenching and unclenching his fists with anger. “I knew William Reid was a bad dude, obviously, but selling him? He even took a lower price so that he could rape his son whenever he pleased.”

“That poor boy… Please tell me his father is in jail.” Said Will, finishing up the burgers and hotdogs he had been cooking.

“Oh yeah. He won’t go anywhere near Spencer ever again. It’s Hobbs we need to worry about...”

Surprisingly, it was Hotch that reassured Morgan. “Don’t worry. We’ll find the bastard.”

Garcia, being the ray of sunshine she is, decided that they had enough of the depressing talk. “Okay, okay. Food is ready. No talk of this around Spencer. The boy deserves some happiness.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I am not a writer by any means, but I wrote this fic in my head and decided to write it out and share it on here. I hope you like it and comments are always appreciated!


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